Vote for The Code of Conduct and help raise awareness on Child Sex Tourism

The Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism (The Code of Conduct) has been selected as one of 15 finalists in the “Ending Global Slavery” Competition, a project by Changemakers. ECPAT International would like to encourage you to vote in this competition and help increase awareness of The Code of Conduct. On-line voting opens today and ends on 5 August 2008.

To vote:

1. Go to http://www.changemakers.net/en-us/competition/freedom

2. Register to vote under the section, “how do I get involved” (http://www.changemakers.net/en-us/user/register?destination=node%2F6264

3. Vote for your top three candidates.

The Code of Conduct is an instrument of self-regulation and corporate social responsibility, initiated by the ECPAT network and providing increased protection to children from sexual exploitation in travel and tourism. For more information, see www.thecode.org

Changemakers is an initiative of ‘Ashoka: Innovators for the Public’ that focuses on the rapidly growing world of social innovation. It provides solutions and resources needed to help everyone become a changemaker and presents compelling stories that explore the fundamental principles of successful social innovation around the world. For more information, see www.changemakers.net

For more information, contact:
Ms. Patchareeboon Sakulpitakphon (Mam)
Programme Associate for Combating Child Sex Tourism and
Child Trafficking for Sexual Purposes

ECPAT International
328/1 Phaya Thai Road
Bangkok 10400,Thailand
Tel: + 66 (0) 2 215 3388 ext. 190
Fax: + 66 (0) 2 215 8272
http://www.ecpat.net

Improving US Policy to Fight the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

Join us for an informational briefing

Tuesday, July 22, 2008
11:00am – 12:30pm
Rayburn House Office Building
Room 2200, 2nd Floor

Millions of children worldwide are subjected to sexual exploitation and trafficking each year. The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) and its reauthorizations in 2003 and 2005 have provided the legal framework for the United States Government to combat the sexual exploitation of domestic children and those trafficked into the United States from other countries.

ECPAT-USA invites you to a briefing to explore how U.S. Government efforts to combat the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) are meeting many of its commitments under the UN Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography and how these efforts can be further strengthened.
 
As the U.S. prepares for the World Congress III Against the Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents this November in Brazil, the 2008 TVPA reauthorization is still under consideration by the Senate.  Our panel of experts will discuss how its passage and other Congressional action can reinforce the United States as a world leader in the effort to combat CSEC abroad and within its own borders. 

Speakers:

1. Carol Smolenski, Executive Director, ECPAT-USA, Inc.
2. Jonathan Todres, Associate Professor of Law, Georgia State University College of Law
3. Julianne Duncan, Associate Director, Children’s Services, Office of Refugee Programs, United States  Conference of Catholic Bishops

Moderated by Howard Davidson, Director, ABA Center on Children and the Law, American Bar Association

Please RSVP to Victoria Choi at Victoria@ecpatusa.org or by phone at 718-935-9192
by 11AM on Monday, July 21, 2008.

ECPAT-USA is a non-profit organization that is part of the ECPAT global network of organizations and individuals working together for the elimination of child prostitution, child pornography and the trafficking of children for sexual purposes.

The Safe Harbor for Exploited Children Act by The New York Juvenile Justice Coalition
FACTS & FAQ’S

We urge the Legislature to enact the Safe Harbor for Exploited Children Act (Bill A.5258, sponsored by Assembly Member William Scarborough and S.3175 sponsored by Senator Dale Volker) which would create a continuum of services to meet the needs of New York’s sexually exploited children. Despite the fact that, under New York Law, children under the age of 17 cannot consent to sex, children as young as 11 and 12 are routinely charges and incarcerated for prostitution. New York State needs to stop treating exploited children like criminals and provide them with services and safe houses – not jail cells.
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions (FAQ’s) about the Safe Harbor Act:

Why is it important not to prosecute sexually exploited young people?

Experts agree that prosecuting sexually exploited children re-traumatizes them and makes the process of leaving the streets more difficult. In fact, both federal and international law recognize sexually exploited young people as victims. Sexually exploited children already suffer violence and abuse at the hands of their adult pimps and johns – prosecuting them as criminals compounds that abuse and just doesn’t make sense.

Don’t we need to hold sexually exploited children in secure facilities in order to protect them?

No. Incarcerating sexually exploited young people is not necessary to protect them or provide services. The Safe Harbor for Exploited Children’s Act would create a range of services, including crisis intervention and short-term and long-term safe houses that will be specifically designed to meet the needs of sexually exploited children. Experience has shown that when their needs are met in a caring and supportive environment, sexually exploited children are much less likely to return to the streets.

Doesn’t the juvenile justice system provide the services sexually exploited children need?

No. Juvenile facilities on both the state and local level are not equipped to meet the urgent and very specific service needs of sexually exploited young people. It is estimated that 80 to 90 percent of exploited children have been sexually abused. Two-thirds to three- quarters of exploited children experience mental health problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder. The Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), which operates the placement facilities for juvenile delinquents, has no programs to address the very specific social and emotional needs of sexually exploited children.

If sexually exploited children aren’t put through the juvenile justice system what will we do with them?

The Safe Harbor Act recognizes that sexually exploited children need and deserve the protection of the Family Court. The Court can require that sexually exploited children receive services by determining them to be “persons in need of supervision” (PINS). The Act would amend the Family Court Act regarding PINS cases to specifically incorporate sexually exploited children. The Act would also create a range of specialized, community-based programs designed to help children recover from the trauma of sexual exploitation and abuse.

Will this bill legalize prostitution?

No. The Safe Harbor Act simply recognizes that the sexual exploitation of children is a child welfare issue, not a criminal justice issue. Law enforcement resources are better spent targeting the root causes of sexual exploitation – the pimps and johns who are too often left out on the street to continue the cycle of abuse.

Won’t the services created by this legislation cost a lot of money?

No. The money that New York State currently spends to incarcerate sexually exploited children in the juvenile system and to house them in other social service settings can be re-directed to cover the cost of the more specialized services created by the Safe Harbor Act. Given that the cost of incarcerating one young person in an OCFS facility is approximately $125,000 a year, the money the state would save by diverting children from prison should be more than enough to provide funding for community-based services.

Mean Streets: NY Teens Caught in the Sex Trade
Wednesday, May 28th, 6:30 pm
Advertised in places like Craigslist, sex with kids is a thriving part of the NYC sex trade. Every year, girls as young as 12 are sexually exploited by pimps and johns, and they face a system ill-equipped to provide the services needed to help them reclaim their young lives. This disproportionately affects African-American girls, as well as gay and transgender runaways. Join us for a documentary film screening and community for um on changing laws, policies, and attitudes about teen sexual exploitation.

The documentary, "Teen Prostitution; Sex Workers or Victims?" was produced by National Geographic and is part of the Oxygen network's "Who Cares About Girls" documentary series. Speakers on the panel include Patti Binder, Deputy Director of Girls Educational & Mentoring Services (GEMS), Lori B. Iskowitz, Senior Trial Counsel, Assistant Deputy Borough Chief in the Family Court Division of the NYC Law Department, Katherine Mullen, Attorney at Legal Aid Society Juvenile Justice Division, Jo Rees, Deputy Executive Director of Friends of Island Academy, and Lise Zumwalt, Producer of the film. The discussion will by moderated by NOW-NYC President, Sonia Ossorio.

LGBT Center | 208 W. 13th St. @ 7th Ave. | To RSVP: www.nownyc.org or call 212.627.9895 (Space is limited!) $10 suggested donation. Sponsored by NOW-NYC and the New York State Anti-Trafficking Coalition www.stophumantraffickingny.org

February 19, 2008
Op-Ed Columnist The New York Times
The Wrong Target
By BOB HERBERT

A New York City police detective and his girlfriend have been accused of kidnapping and forcing a 13-year-old girl into prostitution.

According to the Queens district attorney’s office, the detective, Wayne Taylor, and the girlfriend, Zalika Brown, would parade the girl at parties and other places where adult men had gathered and force her to have sex with them for money — $40 for oral sex, $80 for intercourse.

The child was an investment. The couple allegedly told her that she had been purchased for $500 — purchased, like the slaves of old, only this time for use as a prostitute.

Read the entire article, Click Here.

The sex tourism dilemma: Most onlookers do nothing
Global code aims to protect children from sexual exploitation
Jan 17, 2008 04:30 AM by Leslie Garrett Special to the Star

Years ago in Phuket, Thailand, friends and I spent part of one evening sitting at an outdoor bar watching a paunchy, middle-aged English-speaking Caucasian man flirt with and caress a petite Thai girl. It was hard to gauge her age but her mannerisms seemed self-conscious and young.

Read the entire article, Click Here.