Press
The media have an important role to play in raising public awareness about the problem of the sexual exploitation of children in tourism.
The problem for journalists is how to act responsibly when handling the subject matter and photographs in their reports, but still produce a good "story". A priority should be placed on the protection of the victims - provocative pictures could further harm them, and they could even act as a stimulus for further acts of sexual exploitation.
We are collecting examples of serious contributions by journalists who tackle the problem of sexual exploitation of children in tourism. If you have written articles then we would be interested in receiving a copy for our
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Interview:
December 17 - 20, 2002: Second World Congress Against the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Yokohama, Japan
Interview with Christa Dammermann, terre des hommes Deutschland e.V.
The fight against the sexual abuse of children must be intensified throughout the world. The "Second World Congress Against the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children," which will take place in the Japanese city of Yokohama from December 17 -20, has dedicated itself to this goal. Representatives from governments and organisations throughout the world will discuss measures to combat the international trade of children, child prostitution and child pornography. The Congress will determine to what extent the international plan of action from Stockholm has been implemented; the first World Conference Against the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children took place in Stockholm in 1996. Another focus in Japan will be the identification of new methods of child protection.
The German delegation will be headed by Dr. Christine Bergmann, Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizen, Women and Youth. She will be accompanied by representatives from various expert organisations: Ursula Enders from Zartbitter e.V., and Kai Sachs from the "Widerspruch" organisation will attend, along with two youth representatives, and Christa Dammermann from the child right organisation terre des hommes, who serves as project director. Before her departure for Yokohama, Christa Dammermann expressed her thoughts in the following interview.
Has the situation for children improved in the five years since the first World Congress Against the Commercial Sexual Abuse of Children in Stockholm (1996)?
We can say that the situation for children has improved in some regions. There are a multitude of projects that came to life after the Congress in Stockholm. An example is southern Africa: the topic of the sexual abuse of children was taboo in the region. Since then non-government organisations have actively campaigned for the protection of children from sexual exploitation in the region through the implementation of diverse campaigns and projects. In spite of such positive steps, it is regretful that to date, only roughly one-third of the countries represented in Stockholm have developed a plan of action for within their own borders. Plans of action, however, are only a first step and provide no proof that the plight of children has actually improved. Nonetheless, a number of legal initiatives have been passed since then. Especially in Europe, where a far-reaching consensus was achieved within the European Union, initiatives established that perpetrators who sexually abuse children while abroad might be tried for these crimes before a court in their home country. These new legal outlets, however, have not been adequately exercised since their inception. The number of such processes is still much too low. It's a good example on the one hand, of the important shockwaves sent out from Stockholm, but on the on the other hand it highlights that the implementation of these measures still leaves a lot to be desired.
In your opinion, what are the most urgent/ important problems to be discussed in Yokohama?
In Stockholm, we were occupied primarily with one topic, a topic that really got under everyone's skin: child pornography on the Internet. It was one of the "new topics" in Stockholm. Unfortunately, the situation in this specific area has gotten even worse. Today there are many more photos and films available on the Internet, and syndicates are making money from this. We also know that the scene is continuing to become more and more criminalized. We can't say whether new photos are being made constantly, but what is fact is that children are being sexually exploited and abused in front of the camera to serve an ever-growing market. This is also going to be a hot topic in Yokohama, because it is of the utmost importance that agreements not only be signed, but actually implemented as well.
What other topics will be in the forefront for your delegation at the Congress?
One of the central topics for us in Yokohama will be the question of youth offenders. Roughly 30 percent of all perpetrators of sexual exploitation in Germany are themselves youths - between the ages of 10 and 16. This is something that first caught our attention after Stockholm. We don't know what the situation is like outside of Germany - that's why we want to make it a point of discuss at the conference.
Youths as perpetrators of sexual exploitation of children - so this is more than just a passing phenomenon?
It's much more than that. In Stockholm we tried to develop an offender profile. While doing this we only looked at "grown-up" perpetrators. The "classic" 40-year-old offender, however, became an offender at some point in time. Since then we have come to realize that - at least with respect to the situation in Germany - the development into offender often occurs while still in the youth stage. This has not been considered sufficiently, to date. Sexual advances committed by youths are often brushed aside as "pubertal behaviour," when in truth they are acts of violence that have damaging effects for the victims. In the future more must be done than has been done until now.
What does a "perpetrator career" look like?
There's a current example of an offender, who was convicted in Stuttgart just a few weeks ago. He first aroused suspicion as a youth for exhibitionist tendencies. He later increased his activities. He was convicted because he sexually mishandled a 12-year-old girl in Thailand, and eventually progressed to child murderer in Germany, where his victim tried to defend herself. This offender's development is apparently typical, so it really doesn't do us any good to send convicted offenders away for life if we're not going to do anything to combat the large number of developing perpetrators. This vicious circle of sexual violence has to be broken. We have to develop methods to teach today's youths that sexual violence is a crime, not "manly behaviour."
Another topic of great importance to NGO delegations is sexual violence in times of armed conflict. What is the situation like in this area?
Our first concern is for the victims, who as a rule are female. Girls are raped by so-called troop members, either from government or guerrilla forces. Our second focus, as revealed by a current study conducted by terra des homes in Columbia, must centre on the offender. We must find out what rituals are used to persuade boys to sexually exploit other boys or girls, and in so doing, gain respect among the armed group.
Additionally, there is still a lot to be done with respect to international peacekeeping forces and cooperation with police. These troops have to be trained better. Behavioural guidelines have to be revised and sanctions developed to be used in protecting children.
Of particular importance to terra des homes - even in connection with the Congress in Yokohama - is child and youth participation. Can you give us a little more insight?
Two youths are part of the government delegation, both officially invited by the government. The delegation strives to include youths' opinions, and utilize their recommendations in the problem-solving process. An equally important purpose is the fostering of communication among people of the same age in intercultural dialogue. We think that children and youths can work together to develop possibilities to protect themselves and mutually support each other. With regards to the continuing work in Germany, we think it's important to use the results gathered from same-aged groups in violence and drug prevention programs. This is an opportunity to develop a way to prevent sexual exploitation among youths. We term this "peer-to-peer education." The second area deals with the question of rules. We could envision, for example, editing school codes of conduct together with children and youths. By doing this, children would get the impression that these rules actually make a difference and provide them with protection against sexual abuse.
Yet another hot topic for your delegation is the "responsibility of institutions." What's the point behind this?
Before Stockholm, there were initiatives aimed at the travel industry. They were designed to involve travel operators in the protection of children in the tourism industry. The initiatives were developed further, and are today being practically implemented. There are still many more institutions that are involved with children and are responsible for their protection: schools, day cares, churches, and sport clubs. Many paedophiles and sexual offenders look for their victims through these outlets. These institutions must develop protection mechanisms to effectively scare off potential offenders.
Article 34 of the UN Declaration of Children's Rights guarantees children protection from sexual violence. The German government also signed this document. What do you demand of the German government, so that this right of protection is put into effect?
Since the inception of the declaration in 1989, we have demanded that children in Germany be protected until they turn 18. In Germany, children are currently protected until the age of 14, which means when they turn 14, their right to absolute protection is non-existent. This age regulation differs from country to country, which makes cross-border prosecution of such crimes against youths very difficult. We are therefore calling for the international age of protection to be raised to 18 years, as stipulated in the declaration. Naturally, sexuality among youths should not be restricted. It's important for us to differentiate between grown-ups and children when discussing sexual exploitation. The universal consensus among expert organisations is that eighteen years is an ideal age limit, which can serve to effectively protect all children and youths.
What hopes are you taking with you to the Congress in Japan?
Naturally, we hope that we'll hear many new ideas regarding the worldwide protection of children's rights - ideas that can actually be implemented. We need to have clear visions and concrete time plans, for example what goals will be accomplished in what timeframe. We need these to effectively implement these ideas and later measure successes. The second point is our hope that many further governments will commit themselves to the plan of action so that we come closer to our goal of abolishing the sexual exploitation of children. And I'm also taking the hope with me, that in the future we'll be prepared to react quicker when the rights of children are threatened.
What new developments do you have in mind?
I'm thinking of the situation in Afghanistan, as an example. What's going to play out during the initial peacekeeping stages? Are NATO troops going to be adequately prepared for the situation that awaits them there? Are we going to be again forced to watch as the number of acts of sexual violence against children increases with the arrival of international troops? That children from refugee camps will be traded on the black market? It's a very disturbing problem. With reference to refugees, an old demand from terra des hommes once again takes new precedence - namely that the German government fully ratify Article 22 of the Declaration of Children's Rights…
…which the German government declined to accept during the ratification in 1992.
Yes. This article deals with the handling of refugees who are still minors. As called for by the UN convention, we demand that children who come to Germany as refugees have the same rights as German children: the right to go to school, receive an education, receive adequate living arrangements, enjoy medical treatment, etc. In Germany, however, we're forced to constantly experience this vicious circle involving deportation, new threats - through sexual violence and child trade - renewed flight, renewed deportation. That's why we need to ratify Article 22, and the corresponding German implementation of the protective rights of refugee children.
Finally: What are the chances of international pursuit of sexual violence against children?
We feel that the sexual exploitation of children must be recognized as a crime against humanity. With this recognition, the path would be free for international prosecution in the "International Criminal Court," that will hopefully be erected in the near future. Perpetrators, who are not pursued in their own country or receive asylum from their government, can be prosecuted at the court. That would be an immensely important step for the effective protection of children.
Interview conducted by Stephan Stolze
Further information about the Congress in Yokohama at: www.focalpointngo.org/yokohama