Young Agents Need National Protection from Sex Exploitation
24 July 2009

Three proactive peer educators, who joined World Congress III against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents in Brazil, presented their joint statement consisting of twelve recommendations to relevant government institutions, and non-governmental organizations, in order to free children form sex exploitation and to take action against it.

Supported by World Vision Cambodia and UNICEF, Cambodia National Council for Children and ECPAT-Cambodia (End Child Prostitution, Abuse and Trafficking in Cambodia) organized a dissemination ceremony on World Congress III Outcome in Brazil on Wednesday 22, July.

Ul Sopheak, 18, one of Cambodian adolescent representatives, read the statement that “ The children have suffered too much from adult exploitation. But, organized and united, we have gone from being victims to actors. Our children’s organizations give us the strength to defend ourselves and fight for our rights. It is not enough to just give us voice but you must listen. Listen to our calls for urgent action, listen to our experiences and most importantly listen to solutions.”

The joint statement was shared and unanimously agreed by about 300 children and adolescents from around the world during the World Congress III against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents. Together they proposed practical recommendations to their respective governments to take firm action to address the issue.

One of the 12 remarkable recommendations is that children want their governments to enforce the law and policies that rebound to the benefits, protection and well-being of children. It is not enough yet that those governments make empty promises to stop the issue. They want their government to form a committee to audit the action plan in each country.

Sovann Pothy Nanarak, 17, who also joined the congress, said the outcome dissemination was very important to draw attention of government and NGOs to continue working more thoroughly to eliminate the exploitation although they have made conscious effort to stop it.

“Children and adolescents are the key human resources for social development. If those governments do not care about children’s voices and solutions we came up with to implement, I do think it is possible to make better changes,”

Presiding guest H.E. Ith Samheng, Minister of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation, identified challenges having raised during the congress such as gaps of knowledge, solution mechanism, and judicial measures, lack of resources, structure, training, information dissemination, and reliable database, which require each country to address.

“The Royal Government has established and enforced law, national planning and mechanism, and many programs, and thoroughly care about children. Cambodia has set up five-year national planning (2005-2009) to combat child trafficking, and has implemented it successfully, and now national tasked force to combat human trafficking, in which children and women are the priority, has also been included.” said H.E. Ith Sam Heng, during the opening ceremony.

Abid Gulzar, Asia Pacific Regional Advocacy Program manager, said it was good initiative to have outcome dissemination because it reflected that besides civil society working to promote protection mechanism, the Royal Government of Cambodia was taking the ownership to address the issue. He added that’s challenging to have adolescent’s participation.

“Their participation is indeed very good. It is a good starting point. However, the government needs to provide more opportunity for children to participate in such kind of event. It is not a symbol of participation, but they must actively engage in further policy level.”

World Vision sent the three young advocates Ul Sopeak, Kol Kakda, 16, Sovann Pothy Nanarak, to participate in the World Congress III against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents from 25 to 28 November 2008, to discuss and find effective solutions to curb the exploitation.

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