UNICEF makes a call to society as a whole to take a strong standagainst sexual abuse of children and adolescentsLa Paz, 13th November 2009 - Against the backdrop of the Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and given recent newspaper reports on cases of sexual abuse against children in this country, UNICEF has expressed its dismay at these incidents, many of which have gone unpunished. At the same time, it is proposing a revision of existing laws in order to guarantee that child and adolescent rights are fulfilled, and that authorities, courts and protection services are reinforced so that they can carry out their work effectively. “We invite all of Bolivian society,”declared Gordon Jonathan Lewis, the organisation’s Representative in Bolivia, “to make an introspective, self-critical assessment of the situation, asking themselves if this is the future that they want to guarantee for the country’s children and adolescents.” In this respect, UNICEF is aware that the phenomenon of child sexual abuse in this country is nothing new and is making a call to society as a whole to put all of its effort into clearly and concretely raising thevisibility of this alarming day-to-day reality within every sphere of society throughout the country. At the same time, it recognises the important efforts that have been made by the news media to raise awareness of this problem. Sexual abuse against children and adolescents is one of the most heinous abuses of human rights, one which bears devastating long-term consequences for the victims and their societies. Beyond the physical and psychological scars left behind by sexual abuse, it also denies the victims the right to lead their lives with dignity. Much more must be done to confront the issue of children’s vulnerability to sexual abuse in Bolivia. The is a multi-faceted problem which demands sustained effort and systematic collaboration between the Government at all levels and areas, entities for the administration of justice, Non Governmental Organisations, the private sector, social workers, educators and the community as a whole.Of particular importance is the role of parents as the first-line protectors of their children’s rights. Working legal systems are also required in order to ensure appropriate follow-up of abuse cases and to guarantee protection of and attention to child victims. In the spirit of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Optional Protocol 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour and the Yokohama (2001) and Río de Janeiro (2008) Global Commitments (*), as well as the United Nations Directives on justice and attention to issues concerning child victims and witnesses to crimes, UNICEF is urging the relevant authorities to continue their work in promoting cooperation at every level and joining efforts to eliminate all forms of exploitation and sexual abuse of children. This must begin with an emphatic commitment on behalf of the executive and legislative powers to ensure the effective criminalisation and prosecution of those who sexually exploit Bolivian children and adolescents. --------------------- (*) Seven years after the world congress against the sexual abuse of children was held in Yokohama, Japan, in 2001 - which centred exclusively on the commercial sexual exploitation of children -the Rio de Janeiro Congress, held in Brazil in 2008, dealt with strategies to combat other, non-commercial forms of sexual exploitation of children, including sexual exploitation within the family, child marriage, the sexual exploitation minors who are domestic workers, the commercial sex industry, child pornography and the sexual exploitation of children in cyberspace. For more information please contact:
|
