Peace and Security: Trafficking in Persons.

U.N. Crime Commission Seeks To Protect Children from Trafficking - New Study Reveals Child Pornography Not a Crime In Most Countries Human Smuggling and Trafficking

30 April 2007

(Resolution recognizes international response needed to a global problem)

Washington -- A resolution introduced by the United States and Ecuador that urges U.N. member states criminalize all aspects of child sexual exploitation was approved at the 2007 meeting of the U.N. Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.

The resolution was approved at the conclusion of the 16th session of the U.N. Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, which met in Vienna, Austria, April 23-27.

The Resolution on Effective Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Responses to Combat Sexual Exploitation of Children recognizes that child sexual exploitation is a growing international problem demanding an international response.

The resolution defines child exploitation to include sexually explicit images of children (child pornography), the victimization of children through prostitution and child-sex tourism. The resolution maintains that sexually explicit images of children severely harm children and are linked to other sexual exploitation offenses against children.

International cooperation is absolutely essential to combat these crimes, say U.S. authorities.  Sexually explicit images of children are easily distributed across international boundaries through the Internet.  Similarly, child-sex trafficking -- including the victimization of children through prostitution and sex tourism -- often involves international travel, with offenders having different nationalities from those of the victims, so international teamwork is considered crucial.

According to a 2006 study by the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children, 95 countries have no legislation specifically addressing child pornography.

The U.S. government hopes the resolution will encourage countries lacking such legislation to consider it.

Bringing attention to the problem of protecting children from sexual exploitation was a major priority for U.S. diplomats attending the meeting.

During a special event focused on child exploitation April 25, Ambassador Gregory Schulte said tough legislation, especially on child-sex tourism, can be effective. (See related article.)

In 2003, he said, President Bush signed into law the PROTECT Act, which makes it a crime for any person to enter the United States, or for any U.S. citizen to travel abroad, for the purpose of sex tourism involving children.  Over the past four years, Schulte said, the U.S. Department of Justice has more than tripled the number of cases brought against sex-tour operators and patrons.

Schulte, who serves as the permanent United States representative to the United Nations Office in Vienna spoke at the special panel discussion hosted by the U.S. Embassy in Vienna, the U.S. Mission to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the U.S. Mission to International Organizations, the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the OSCE and the Austrian Foreign Ministry.

Experts from around the world were gathered in Vienna to seek ways to end the scourge of human trafficking and the exploitation of children. The weeklong U.N conference brought together hundreds of diplomats, judges, lawyers, police officers, criminal justice policymakers and nongovernmental organizations.

More information on the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children 2006 study is available on the organization’s Web site.

For more information on U.S. policies and additional coverage of the 16th session of the U.N. Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, see Human Smuggling and Trafficking.