ANNEX I
Regional Commitment and Action Plan of the East Asia and Pacific
Region against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children
Adopted 18 October 2001
I.
Our Progress and Concerns:
1.
We, the delegates of 25 governments, in cooperation with
United Nations agencies and bodies, international organizations,
non-governmental organizations (NGOs), representatives of young
people, other entities and observers, met at the East Asia and
Pacific Regional Consultation from 16 to 18 October 2001 in Bangkok,
Thailand, in preparation for the Second World Congress against
Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children to be held in Yokohama,
Japan, from 17 to 20 December 2001.
2.
We took this opportunity to review the progression of our
work five years after the First World Congress against Commercial
Sexual Exploitation of Children convened in Stockholm in 1996
and to consolidate our partnership, together with members of civil
society, including young people, against the commercial sexual
exploitation of children (CSEC), including child prostitution,
child pornography and child trafficking for sexual purposes.
3.
We reaffirm the spirit of the Stockholm Declaration and
Agenda for Action, adopted by the First World Congress.
More specifically, we note the seriousness of the problem
of the CSEC as a result of multiple factors, including greed and
power abuse, on the one hand, and of the decline in values, on
the other. Therefore, we emphasize that strong
government commitment and support, in cooperation with civil society
that are responsive to our cultural wisdom and ethical values,
are imperative for viable and lasting solutions to the problem
of CSEC.
4.
We recognize the achievements, wisdom and efforts of children/young
people in the fight against CSEC, and we will continue to support
their meaningful participation.
5.
We underscore the rights of the child and recognize the
developments in the East Asia and Pacific countries since the
First World Congress, bearing in mind the following positive aspects
·
The undertaking, on the part of all countries of the region,
to recognize and guarantee the rights of the child embodied in
the Convention on the Rights of the Child in a comprehensive and
holistic manner;
·
The participation of countries of the region in a number
of key regional/sub-regional commitments to protect the child
from CSEC, notably in Resolution 53/4 of the Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) on Elimination of
Sexual Abuse and Sexual Exploitation of Children and Youth in
Asia and the Pacific (1997); the Bangkok Accord and Plan of Action
to Combat Trafficking in Women adopted by the Regional Conference
on Trafficking in Women (1998); the Asian Regional Initiative
against Trafficking (ARIAT) Regional Action Plan against Trafficking
in Persons, especially Women and Children (2000); the Conclusions
and Recommendations of the Asia-Pacific Seminar
of Experts in Preparation for the World Conference
against Racism: Migrants and Trafficking in Persons with Particular
Reference to Women and Children (2000); Resolution 57/1 of ESCAP
on a Regional Call for Action to Fight the Human Immunodeficiency
Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome in Asia and the Pacific
(2001); the Beijing Declaration on Commitments for Children in
the East Asia and Pacific Region for 2001-2010 (2001) supported
by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); and the Declaration
on the Commitments for Children in the Association of
South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) (2001);
·
The contributive role played by countries of the region
in developing international norms and new instruments for child
protection, including the International Labour Organization (ILO)
Convention No.182 concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action
for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour (1998);
the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child
on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography
(2000); and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking
in Persons, especially Women and Children, Supplementing the United
Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (2000);
·
The adoption of a number of activities at the regional
level to implement the Declaration and Agenda for Action of the
First World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of
Children (“The Stockholm Declaration and Agenda for Action”),
in particular the ESCAP Human Resources Development Course for
Medical and Psychosocial Services for Sexually Abused and Sexually
Exploited Children and Youth, and region-wide support from many
governments and intergovernmental organizations, in cooperation
with civil society, for programmes against CSEC;
·
The broad participation of civil society, including international
and national non-governmental organizations (NGOs), in action
against CSEC;
·
The higher priority-setting to address the issue of CSEC
and its linkage with drug abuse and the spread of sexually transmitted
diseases, in particular HIV/AIDS;
·
The evolution of national plans of action against CSEC
and more transparency concerning such situations in some countries;
·
The greater involvement of the private sector in measures
against CSEC;
·
More mobilization of young people to promote and protect
their rights against CSEC, as highlighted especially by the International
Young People’s Participation Project against the Commercial
Sexual Exploitation of Children;
·
More emphasis on law reform, law enforcement, policy implementation,
as well as bilateral and multilateral legal cooperation in combating
CSEC;
·
More activities aimed at the prevention of CSEC to address
the root causes, such as poverty, family disintegration, as well
as gender and other forms of discrimination, negative traditional
practices, and criminality; and
·
More efforts to build the capacity of the relevant authorities
and community watchdogs to protect children, in addition to child-sensitive
facilities and effective recovery and reintegration measures.
6.
We welcome the convening, in Yokohama, of the Second World
Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, to
be hosted by the Government of Japan, support the process to ensure
more effective actions against CSEC, and invite the Second World
Congress to take into account this Regional Commitment and Action
Plan.
7.
We acknowledge that much remains to be done to protect
the rights of the child and to eliminate the demand that fosters
CSEC, and we abhor the existence of CSEC and emphasize our concern
regarding this situation in the region and beyond.
In this respect, we note that many countries in East Asia
and the Pacific, especially Pacific Island countries, do not yet
have national plans of action against CSEC, as well as the related
national focal points and data, even though these are called for
in the Stockholm Declaration and Agenda for Action.
There is also a lack of integrated data, information and
related networks to provide inputs for policy formulation and
programming against CSEC.
8.
We recognize the need to identify new and more adequate
measures for the prevention of CSEC, protection of children who
are vulnerable to CSEC, recovery and reintegration of child victims,
and young people’s participation against CSEC.
II.
Our Regional Commitment:
1.
We commit ourselves to taking action on the following:
·
Ensure effective implementation of the Convention on the
Rights of the Child and the Stockholm Declaration and Agenda for
Action and undertake to provide sufficient resources for this
purpose;
·
Support the process leading to the Second World Congress;
·
Encourage early ratification of the relevant international
instruments for child protection, including ILO Convention No.
182 concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination
of the Worst Forms of Child Labour, the Optional Protocol to the
Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children,
Child Prostitution and Child Pornography, and the Protocol to
Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially
Women and Children, Supplementing the United Nations Convention
against Transnational Organized Crime;
·
Aim for integrated and comprehensive measures against CSEC;
·
Improve laws and related procedures, policies, programmes
and mechanisms, and train personnel against CSEC, while treating
sexually exploited children as victims and not as criminals;
·
Address the interrelationship between CSEC and child trafficking,
and improve laws to combat the phenomenon, while ensuring that
the child victims of trafficking are not classified or treated
as illegal immigrants and that they are able to access support
systems to protect their security and safe return home;
·
Enhance cooperation and coordination against CSEC among
governments, NGOs and others members of civil society, the private
sector, the media, intergovernmental organizations, including
regional organizations, and young people;
·
Improve research and data gathering to inform policy and
programmes to address CSEC;
·
Improve the monitoring process at all levels concerning
CSEC and ensure its sustainability; and
·
Strengthen young people’s meaningful participation
against CSEC and support their activities and networks on child
protection.
III. Our
Regional Action Plan:
1.
We underscore that all services and programmes should be
child-, gender- and culturally sensitive, and that child/young
people’s participation, including CSEC survivors and those
vulnerable to CSEC, should be mainstreamed into all activities
concerning children/young people.
2.
We undertake to act on the following, to the maximum extent
possible:
A.
Child/Young People’s Participation:
·
Identify or establish,
by 2004, child/young people’s committees, which are independent
advisory and consultative bodies to the government on legislation
and issues pertaining to children/young people;
·
Build the capacity of
children/young people and adults to ensure that children/young
people’s participate meaningfully in the planning, implementation,
and evaluation of relevant government policies and programmes;
·
Ensure the participation
of children/young people in research on CSEC, and conduct research
on their views on the actions against CSEC; and
·
Allocate resources,
to the maximum extent possible, to support child/young people’s
participation initiatives on prevention, protection, cooperation
and recovery/reintegration at local, provincial, national, regional
and international levels.
B.
Coordination and Cooperation:
·
Urge countries, especially
Pacific Island countries, that did not attend the First World
Congress, to adopt, by 2004, the Stockholm Declaration and Agenda
for Action;
·
Adopt, by 2004, national
plans/agendas of action, incorporating long-term strategies, and
develop indicators, in accordance with the Stockholm Declaration
and Agenda for Action, and identify, or if necessary designate,
a national focal point in each country, with effective implementation
measures and data bases;
·
Establish and implement,
by 2004, Memorandum(s) of Understanding or agreement(s) to combat
cross-border trafficking of children with comprehensive measures;
·
Organize national and
regional monitoring meetings, involving all relevant stakeholders,
to review and evaluate progress in 2003;
·
Consider the identification
of a regional focal point to encourage adoption of the Stockholm
Declaration and Agenda for Action and related implementation;
·
Develop and encourage
partnerships and networks among governments, law enforcement authorities,
including INTERPOL and ASEANAPOL, NGOs, children/young people,
community leaders, aid agencies, and the private sector;
·
Establish channels for
inter-country and inter-regional sharing of information to combat
CSEC;
·
Endeavour to link government
monitoring of the implementation of the Stockholm Declaration
and Agenda for Action with other related monitoring efforts, such
as reporting mechanism on CRC and other regional commitments;
·
Request ESCAP and UNICEF
to monitor the implementation of the Agenda for Action, with assistance
from ECPAT International’s existing services of data collection
and analysis;
·
Assess the effectiveness
of national action plans in order to share experiences on drafting
and implementation and to facilitate follow-up actions;
·
Encourage sub-regional
and regional agencies and organizations, such as ESCAP, ASEAN
and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, to concretize measures
against CSEC, including effective implementation of various existing
resolutions and declarations on children/young people; and
·
Call upon donors to
support child participation, prevention of CSEC, and the recovery
and reintegration of child victims through their long-term commitment.
C.
Prevention:
·
Implement/strengthen
programmes that address poverty, family and community disintegration,
gender discrimination, discrimination against indigenous and minority
communities, and recover and reinforce positive cultural wisdom
and practices which protect and promote the rights and dignity
of women and children, as well as reduce practices and attitudes
which negatively impact women and children;
·
Promote better access
to education for all children, more education on the rights of
the child, and awareness-raising against CSEC and its linkage
with drug abuse, STDs, including HIV/AIDS, reproductive health
and sexuality, aiming at a process to promote the child’s
personal growth and self esteem, aimed at harm avoidance;
·
Promote a humane socialization
process and related actions to foster positive attitudes and behaviour
to prevent CSEC and to counter demand for CSEC;
·
Integrate the issue
of CSEC into both formal and non-formal/informal education;
·
Reaffirm the importance
of the family and strengthen social protection for children/young
people and families more concretely through sustained information
campaigns and community-based surveillance/monitoring of CSEC,
with particular attention to protection from exploitation;
·
Undertake media and
public awareness-raising campaigns to change attitudes that support
CSEC and to eliminate the stigma against survivors of CSEC;
·
Support media personnel
in maintaining media ethics and practices consistent with the
rights of the child, including respect for the child’s/young
person’s privacy, and as partners for children’s/young
persons’ protection;
·
Provide technical and
financial support to community leaders and both formal and informal
networks, including religious leaders, media, ethnic associations
and community workers, to counter CSEC;
·
Consolidate local, national,
sub-regional and regional actions to prevent and counter CSEC,
and monitor their impact on children/young people and their families,
with effective follow-up;
·
Recognize that child-sensitive
laws are an essential part of action to prevent CSEC and support
their development and implementation; and
·
Develop and publicize
relevant laws that prevent the exploitation of children/young
people through information technologies and other channels of
communication, including the use of videotapes and the Internet
for child pornography.
D.
Protection:
·
Encourage region-wide
adoption/ratification of international treaties and other instruments
concerning child protection and ensure their implementation and
monitoring;
·
Enact/improve laws,
policies and programmes promoting and protecting child rights
and ensure effective implementation and enforcement of relevant
laws, especially criminal and civil laws;
·
Ensure that, under national
immigration laws, child victims of trafficking are treated humanely,
and ensure effective coordination among all relevant agencies;
·
Encourage cross-border/transnational
cooperation and sharing of information among law enforcement authorities
against CSEC;
·
Develop and implement
child-sensitive judicial systems and programmes to protect child
victims and child witnesses;
·
Adopt innovative responses
to counter the negative aspects of technology, such as the transfer
of child pornography via the Internet;
·
Strengthen the capacity
to combat CSEC of law enforcers, members of civil society, especially
children/young people, NGOs, teachers, media, community groups
and volunteers, and the private sector, through increasing awareness
and training concerning child protection, international instruments,
national laws and policies;
·
Provide a supportive
infrastructure for law enforcers and members of civil society
to report and to counter commercial sexual exploitation of children;
·
Reinforce existing structures
and mechanisms for child protection and explore the possibility
of using, for this purpose, Ombudspersons, local task forces and
special police units, as well as child support systems;
·
Encourage and support
more child/young people’s participation in combating CSEC,
including their involvement in local task forces and/or the establishment
of their own task force to pro-actively protect children; and
·
Develop and support
a research agenda on CSEC and encourage the inter-country sharing
of information.
E.
Recovery and Reintegration:
·
Ensure that all programmes
respect and respond to the diversity of children/young people’s
situations and backgrounds and the unique position of each child/young
person, and include them as active partners in their own recovery
and reintegration;
·
Provide/strengthen wide-ranging
and effective services for the child victims of commercial sexual
exploitation, which are gender-, child- and culture-sensitive,
including peer counselling, hotlines/helplines in local languages,
shelters, medical treatment, and psychosocial counselling;
·
Develop, in partnership
with universities and service providers, monitoring and evaluation
mechanisms, including impact indicators, as part of the design
of recovery programmes;
·
Recognize that reintegration
is a long-term process, requiring psychosocial support, job training
and placement, destigmatization, and programme monitoring and
follow-up;
·
Ensure that reintegration
involves a variety of stakeholders, particularly the child/young
person, family, community, NGOs, and religious organizations,
and that the political will of governments is responsive to this
issue;
·
Train health and social
service providers, religious and community workers, and indigenous
healers in the provision of child-friendly services, including
medical and psychosocial services, care for care-providers, HIV/AIDS
and substance abuse programmes, and life skills development;
·
Provide community-level
training programmes concerning the rights and interests of the
child on areas such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child
and other international rights-related instruments, parenting,
communication, peer counselling, and training of trainers, directed
at teachers, parents, children/young people, and community leaders;
·
Recognize social work
as a key profession and strengthen professional and para-professional
training programmes, including skills in assessment, counselling,
case management, and impact evaluation of programmes;
·
Call upon donors to
recognize that recovery and reintegration are long-term processes,
and to commit their support accordingly in partnership with key
stakeholders;
·
Recognize universities
and other educational institutions as key partners in the recovery
and reintegration processes, including training and research.
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