Issue:
Position:
Reducing sexual exploitation of
children in South East Asia
Association of South East Asian Nations
(ASEAN)
Deputy President
Name:
Katrien Nivera
Forum:
Introduction
In 2000, UNESCAP did a study regarding the sexual exploitation and abuse of 19 girls in
three towns from Myanmar. Of the 19 girls, 4 of them were lured by neighbours or
acquaintances and trafficked to a town called Muse after being told about profitable
employment. Two of those girls were sold for K10,000 and K30,000, while one was drugged
while being trafficked. Another case happened in a town known as Hpa-An where two girls
became prostitutes subsequently after one’s boyfriend drugged and raped her and was left
pregnant after he had abandoned her. Finally in the town Mawlamyine, two children faced
sexual abuse on separate occasions after they were taken away by drunken family members
and raped. Other girls were raped by their stepfather and another was raped while being four
months pregnant. These girls were all forced into prostitution after their families were facing
financial issues.
Sexual exploitation of children is defined as the act of sexually abusing or exploiting
children/youth in exchange for necessities like food, water, shelter or money or drugs. Sex
trafficking is a type of trafficking in which adults and children are abducted and sold into sex
slavery, and which then leads to children being sexually exploited and abused. Sex
trafficking is not the only type of trafficking. Sexual exploitation has several branches in
which a child can be exploited sexually, including child pornography, child sex tourism and
prostitution. Sexual exploitation can also comprise of single-owner sex slavery, ritual slavery
or forced prostitution (such as those of brothels).
Although slightly outdated, studies done by UNICEF and the Ministry of Invalids and Social
Affairs in 2010 show that 15% of all females sex workers were under the age of 18 while 14
to 30% of both boys and girls were forced into having sex at least once in their lifetime. This
issue has existed for many years and has always been part of a country’s history and
culture. In earlier times, it was easier to take advantage of women and children due to the
gender hierarchy that existed and while it is not something that is tolerated as easily, many
cases of sexual exploitation happen all over the world but very prominently in Southeast
Asia.
No one deserves to fear for their lives and they should be able to lead normal lives without
traumatic experiences. Millions of people get trafficked every year for sex work and people
continue violating basic human rights. It is important to fight sexual exploitation; it increases
a person’s quality of life and it will spare them the psychological and physical impacts that
can be inflicted on them.
Definition of Key Terms
Exploitation
Utilizing a person in order to gain the biggest advantage; in this case sexual exploitation
means taking advantage of people in order to use them as sex slaves.
Human trafficking
According to the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Article 3,
Paragraph (a) states that human trafficking is described ‘as the recruitment, transportation,
transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other
forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position
of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of
a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.’ (Human
Trafficking, United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime). This entails kidnapping people for
sexual exploitation.
Minor
A minor is a person who has not yet reached the legal age of adulthood, this age varies per
country but the legal age of a person is usually 18.
Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation is the act of rehabilitating in which something or someone is restored back to
good health, condition or life through education and/or therapy. When children are rescued
from after being exploited, they are often put to rehabilitation so they can continue to sustain
themselves if they leave the facilities.
Sex slavery
Sex slavery is a type slavery with the intention of sexual exploitation, typically with minors
and is almost always non consensual. Sex slaves can often be found in brothels, usually
after being sold off to them.
General Overview
A Brief History of Sexual Exploitation in Asia
Asia has an extensive history with sexual exploitation, but one of the earliest accounts of
sexual slavery was documented by Yuan Zhen in 8th century when Vietnamese girls were
sold as sex slaves to the Chinese.
During the 16th and 17th century, the Portuguese travelled to Japan and captured many
Japanese women and children to be used as sex slaves, either in Portugal or their other
colonies.
During the 19th and 20th century, there were several networks of Chinese prostitutes being
trafficked in areas such as Singapore, and others such as Japanese prostitutes trafficked
throughout Asia. These trafficked people were usually moved to China, Japan, Korea, and
British India and this was known as the ’Yellow Slave Traffic’. On the contrary to this, there
was a network of prostitutes from being trafficked from Europe to Asia known as the ‘White
Slave Traffic’.
During World War 2, the Japanese created a government system of 200,000 ‘comfort
women’ to use as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers. Most of these trafficked people were
Chinese, Korean and Filipino women and children, who the Japanese collected, trafficked
and isolated them through coercion and abuse. These women were forced to have sexual
intercourse with Japanese soldiers during their conquest of the South Pacific. After the war
ended, many victims came forward and claimed that these cases should be judged in an
international tribunal for child sex slavery and abuse, but these cases were never
entertained or even acknowledge.
In the present, the issue of sex slavery has become less tolerated because of stricter
measures, and more victims are being rescued and rehabilitated. Despite this progress, it is
still a prominent issue in Southeast Asia.
Act, Means, Purpose
Sex trafficking can be defined using ‘acts, means, purpose’;
The acts of: recruitment, enticement, harbouring, obtaining, transferring, or transportation of
persons;
By the means of: threats or use of force, coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abusing
power or taking advantage of vulnerability, giving or receiving payments/benefits to control
one’s consent;
For the purpose of sexual exploitation.
According to UNWOMEN, this is how drafters should define sex trafficking and hierarchies of
victims should not be created, so as to not undermine anyone’s situation. Furthermore, the
UNODC suggested that governments definitions of sex trafficking focuses on the actions of
the offender as opposed to the victim’s state of mind. This definition gives member nations a
clear understanding of what should be considered sex trafficking and helps us get to the root
of the problem.
Causes
Corruption and lack of enforcement are possibly the most common reasons why sexual
exploitation is present within a society and the main cause of its growth rate. Sex offenders
are often not held accountable for their actions, because there are no proper laws being
implemented. Furthermore, there is corruption in the primary enforcement; police officers.
Police officers either take part in sexual exploitation, accept free service if they remain quiet
or do not act at all. If a government has a weak infrastructure, it is easier to bribe border
security and police with free service, and they have a harder time implementing measures
against it.
Social factors also play an important role in the causes of sexual exploitation, For example,
unemployment, poverty and lack of education contribute to these cases. Children are often
sold into slavery by their families for money. Some may also feel that they have no more
option but to turn to sex work, and children without a proper support system may be
vulnerable for sexual exploitation. Gender and cultural beliefs may lead to children feeling
inferior, thus making it easier to submit themselves into sexual abuse and children in areas
of conflict may lack the protection against sexual exploitation as well.
It has become increasingly easier to travel the word, spread information and transport goods
and services across the world. Because of globalization, tourism has increased within the
countries and some of these countries rely on sex slavery as a means of income. Exploiters
have access to more facilities that can aid them with perpetuating sexual exploitation.
Consequences of Sexual Exploitation
Countries with higher rates of sexual slavery and exploitation generally have a lower quality
of life because they exploit children as a means of making a living. Countries with a low rate
of sex slavery are able to make money without having to result to the assault, and abuse of
children.
The main threat a victim of sexual slavery is exposed to is the physical violence that comes
with it. Children have more underdeveloped bodies, which allows HIV/AIDS to be contracted
more easily, and children who refuse sex work are often beaten, kicked, burned or raped as
punishment for refusal to work. This puts the physical wellbeing of sex slaves at risk.
Psychological impacts are more difficult to assess amongst children, but these are issues
that almost always stay in someone’s memory. There is a stigma around children who have
been sexually exploited in which they feel like they have been betrayed by someone they
once trusted. Other children also have low self-esteem, shame and guilt and are unworthy of
rescue. To cope with these feelings, many children turn to drug and substance abuse or
attempt suicide.
Usually after a child is rescued from the sex industry, children are put into rehabilitation to
recover from their traumatic experiences. Rehabilitation in this context, refers to nurturing
children back to their original state and helps children cope with physical and psychological
abuse and this is often incredibly helpful to help victims however there are very few
successful programs. According to End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography in Trafficking
for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT), many children return or continue to work in the sex industry.
Despite intensive psychosocial rehabilitation, 15 to 20% of children go back to the industry
(ECPAT, What are the consequences). In general, the chances of rehabilitation are affected
by how severe the child’s abuse was and it helps in determining the chance of success in
rehabilitation.
It is difficult to see patterns in human trafficking, but during times of war and conflict women
and children will be captured and used as sex slaves for soldiers, as seen during the Second
World War and the Vietnamese War. Many ASEAN countries have the issue of sexual
exploitation of children and countries such as Cambodia, Laos and Thailand have the
highest rate of trafficking in and outside the country.
Major Parties Involved
Cambodia
Similar to Laos, Cambodia was also affected by the French-Indochina War in which their
economy was weakened and they lacked infrastructure, thus leading towards sexual
exploitation as a means of income. According to Inter Press Service, Cambodia is among
the countries where child sex tourism is very prominent.
End Child Prostitution and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT)
ECPAT originally began as End Child Prostitution in Asian Tourism in 1990 but it later
expanded into combating all kinds of child trafficking in more than 82 countries around the
world. As of now, ECPAT is based in Bangkok, Thailand where it continues to work with
NGOs against child exploitation.
Laos
Laos is an ethnically diverse country, having over 49 individual ethnicities over 6.5 million
people. France occupied them during the 1900s, and the Second Indochina War caused a
severe toll on their economy. Due to this lack of infrastructure, many people have turned to
sexual exploitation to earn money.
Laos has been listed as one of the hotspots for sexual exploitation, as several young girls
are sold into sex slavery and sent off to various places.
Slavery No More
Slavery No More is a non profit organization with the purpose of combating and abolishing
modern day slavery in Asian and South American countries. They have been in partnership
with other NGOs such as UNICEF.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) are a United Nations organization
created to fight against several acts of crime, one of the main issues being human trafficking.
The UNODC have written extensive research on human trafficking, and has offered practical
solutions such as anti-trafficking strategies and assisting with resources.
Timeline of Key Events
1940s
During the Second World War, women and children living in Southeast Asian
countries were often exploited by Japanese soldiers for ‘comfort’.
1996
1997
2000
2009
2010
The Stockholm Declaration and Agenda of Action agreed on the World
Congress Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation
Establishment of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The
UNODC are a United Nations branch that cover issues regarding crimes and
drugs, and they also focus on the issue of sexual exploitation.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Protocol to Prevent,
Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons.
The Blue Heart Campaign is launched by the UNODC
The United Nations established a new fund called the UN Voluntary Trust Fund
for Victims of Trafficking in Persons.
Previous Attempts to Solve the Issue
Some countries such as the Philippines have launched some sort of rehabilitation and
reintegration program for victims who have returned to their home country and they have
proven to be quite successful. The United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human
Trafficking was established in March 2006 by several organizations such as the UNODC,
International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF. The United Nations has also passed
several resolutions and created several initiative against sexual exploitation such as the
Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons and the Blue Heart
Campaign. Some UN resolutions passed include the United Nations Global Plan of Action to
Combat Trafficking in Persons (General Assembly resolution 64/293 passed), Strengthening
coordination of the United Nations and other efforts in fighting trafficking in persons
(ECOSOC resolution 2008/33 passed) and Improving the coordination of efforts against
trafficking in persons (GA resolution 67/190 passed.)
Possible Solutions
Rehabilitation
When a child is a victim of sexual exploitation, they are usually severely impacted in several
ways. Although it is not a direct solution to sexual exploitation, it gives victims a recovery
framework. Rehabilitation for sexual abuse victims involves psychological and social
counselling and any physical therapy they need from being abused. Along with rehabilitation,
some organizations such as AFESIP Cambodia helps with rehabilitation as well as skills
training for economic empowerment after recovery.
Rescue missions and stricter laws
Again, AFESIP Cambodia has gone on rescues missions to brothels and other areas, in
order to take children away from these facilities. A more effective way this issues could be
tackled is from its root; if member nations create a framework of laws that make
consequences against sexual exploitation harder, this can help lessen how much
exploitation takes place. Stricter laws and harsher punishments for sexual exploitation and
making the people aware of the consequences can help decrease trafficking. Furthermore,
member nations can create a more concrete and straightforward definition (such as act,
means, purpose) in order to identify sexual exploitation more effectively and they can tackled
this issue sooner.
Overall, sexual exploitation is a delicate issue that should be faced with severe
consequences and the only way to eradicate this crime is if all member nations are able to
work together against these issues. A coalition between countries can strengthen chances in
solving the problem. Ultimately, reducing sexual exploitation amongst children is extremely
important for the people living in these countries.
Appendix
Appendix 1 – A Short History of Sexual Slavery by Rosemary Rogello (Feb. 1, 2007)
Appendix 2 – United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/HRC/21/41: Report of the
Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and
consequences, Gulnara Shahinian (July 10, 2012)
Appendix 3 – Child Maltreatment in East Asia and Pacific Region by UNICEF 2012
Bibliography
"Abolish 21st Century Slavery." Slavery No More. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Dec. 2016.
<http://www.slaverynomore.org/>.
Barchfield, Vanessa. "United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime." Cambodia Fights Sexual
Exploitation of Children with More Female Police and by Training All Police on Genderbased Violence. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2016. <http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/humantrafficking/2012/cambodia-fights-sexual-exploitation-of-children-with-more-female-policeand-by-training-all-police-on-gender-based-violence.html>.
Bradford, Laurence. "Modern Day Slavery in Southeast Asia: Thailand and
Cambodia." Investvine. N.p., 23 July 2013. Web. 25 Dec. 2016.
<http://investvine.com/modern-day-slavery-in-southeast-asia-thailand-and-cambodia/>.
"Causes Effects and Solutions to Sexual Abuse." UKEssays. N.p., 23 Mar. 2015. Web. 10
Dec. 2016. <https://www.ukessays.com/essays/sociology/causes-effects-and-solutions-tosexual-abuse-sociology-essay.php>.
@ECPAT. "About ECPAT." ECPAT International. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2016.
<http://www.ecpat.org/about-ecpat/>.
"Ending Sexual Exploitation in Laos." Destiny Rescue. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2016.
<https://www.destinyrescue.org/us/countries/laos/>.
"How To End Modern Day Slavery and Human Trafficking." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 13
Nov. 2013. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.
<http://www.forbes.com/sites/skollworldforum/2013/11/15/how-to-end-modern-slavery-andhuman-trafficking/#3b1884e16d59>.
Larsen, Jacqueline Joudo. "The Trafficking of Children in the Asia–Pacific." The Trafficking
of Children in the Asia–Pacific. N.p., Apr. 2011. Web. 17 Dec. 2016.
<http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/current%20series/tandi/401-420/tandi415.html>.
McLaughlin, Liam. "United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime." What Is Human
Trafficking? N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2016. <https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/humantrafficking/what-is-human-trafficking.html>.
"Press Centre." UNICEF. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Dec. 2016.
<https://www.unicef.org/media/media_pr_sexualexploitation.html>.
Restrepo, Ivan. "United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime." Convention on Transnational
Organized Crime. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2016.
<https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/treaties/CTOC/index.html>.
"Sex Trafficking Acts, Means and Purpose." UNWOMEN. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2016.
<http://www.endvawnow.org/en/articles/548-sex-trafficking-acts-means-and-purpose.html>.
"64 Facts About Child Abuse." 64 Facts about Child Sexual Abuse. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec.
2016. <http://facts.randomhistory.com/child-sexual-abuse-facts.html>.
"Solutions - Human Trafficking." Solutions to Help Stop Human Trafficking. N.p., n.d. Web.
10 Dec. 2016. <http://stoppinghumantrafficking.weebly.com/solutions.html>.
"Tracking the Child Sex Trade in Southeast Asia." NPR. NPR, 11 Feb. 2006. Web. 25 Dec.
2016. <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5201813>.
"UNICEF: A Statistical Snapshot on Child Abuse in East Asia and the Pacific." Child Safe
Tourism. N.p., 04 Aug. 2014. Web. 7 Dec. 2016. <http://childsafetourism.org/unicefstatistical-snapshot-child-abuse-east-asia-pacific/>.
UNICEF. "Centre Helps Girls Recover from Sexual Exploitation in Rural
Cambodia." UNICEF. N.p., 8 Dec. 2003. Web. 3 Dec. 2016.
<https://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/cambodia_46747.html>.
@unicef. "Sexual Violence against Children." UNICEF. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2016.
<https://www.unicef.org/protection/57929_58006.html>.
"What Are the Causes?" ECPAT. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2016. <http://ecpat.be/en/sexualexploitation/what-are-the-causes/>.
"What Are the Consequences?" ECPAT. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2016.
<http://ecpat.be/en/sexual-exploitation/what-are-the-consequences-of-commercial-sexualexploitation-on-children/>.
"What Is Sexual Exploitation?" Sexual Exploitation Toolkit. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2016.
<http://host.jibc.ca/seytoolkit/what.htm>.