A right to protection

Other rights

Other rights

We declare that the issue of child and youth sexual exploitation must be a global priority and nations must not only hold their neighbours accountable but also themselves. - Declaration from Out from the Shadows: International Summit of Sexually Exploited Youth, Victoria, Canada, 1998

In Mumbai, India, girls discuss ways to safely refuse unwanted sexual advances.

You have the right to be protected from physical and mental violence and abuse, and from neglect (article 19).

As a part of this right:

You must be protected from sexual exploitation and abuse, including prostitution and pornography (article 34).

You must be protected from kidnapping or ‘trafficking’ (article 35). Countries must work together to prevent this.

Governments should make and enforce laws that protect children and prevent abusers from escaping punishment by committing a crime in another country. Special efforts should be made to support girls and all children who are vulnerable for any reason, for instance by changing attitudes towards sex and informing everyone about children's rights. Rights should come first, even when they might seem to conflict with cultural traditions. Everyone in society should be involved in the effort.

”We recognize that much more needs to be done to protect children globally, and express our concerns at the delays in the adoption of needed measures in various parts of the world." The Yokohama Global Commitment, 2001

The following rights are also relevant to protecting you against sexual exploitation:

You should not be illegally taken away from your home to another country by anyone — stranger or family member (article 11).

You should have a decent standard of living (article 27). Poverty is a big reason why children get involved in the sex trade. Reducing poverty should therefore be a priority.

Governments should respect and support families and make sure you have access to both your parents, as long as this will not harm you (articles 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 18). A stable home life is crucial to protecting you from sexual exploitation.

If your own family cannot look after you, you have the right to good care from others: foster parents, for example, or an orphanage (article 20). Adoption is an option, but governments must work to stop illegal adoption and to make it safe (article 21 and the Hague Convention).

You have the right to an education (articles 28 and 29). Access to education for boys and girls is crucial to protecting you. A quality education will help to ensure you know your rights and have the skills you need to keep yourself safe. It should also help you earn a living. So it follows that:

You should not have to do work that is dangerous or might interfere with your education (article 32).

Jean, 16, is home again with his grandmother after being forced to serve five months in a rebel army in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

You should be protected during an armed conflict (38). Sexual abuse of children is common during conflicts. Special measures should be taken to protect children separated from their families during conflicts, and to reunite them with family members when possible.

You should be protected from any other form of exploitation, including by the media (36). This includes pornography, publicly identifying child victims or the person who harmed them without the children's consent, and forcing children to perform in a sexual manner. The Internet presents new problems by spreading child pornography and making it easier to contact children, and this must be dealt with.

Television, radio, and newspapers should give you accurate information and not promote anything that could harm you (article 17). Promoting harmful materials includes the advertising of sexual material or services involving children. It also means that media should not portray children in a sexual way, because this encourages exploitation.

If you are harmed in any way, you should be given all the help you need to recover and live a normal life again (article 39). Victims of sexual exploitation need special support services designed for — and with the help of — children.

HIV and AIDS

The HIV and AIDS epidemic is important to any discussion of rights and sexual exploitation. Sexually exploited children have a very high risk of being infected with HIV. This is because they are often not able to control when and with whom they have sex, or whether a condom is used.

HIV and AIDS may also help to fuel the sexual exploitation of children because some abusers wrongly believe that children are less likely to spread or contract the virus. When, in fact children are particularly vulnerable to infection, and just as likely to transmit the virus as an adult. Also, children orphaned by AIDS are often without parents or guardians who can care for and protect them from exploitation and abuse.

You can find out more about HIV and AIDS, and about all the rights in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, by following the links at the right of this page.

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