Return
to News Section
Social Condemnation of Victims lets Criminals
off the Hook
[BANGKOK 16 April 2004] - Adults who prey on children
for sex are often regarded as not fully criminal, and yet many
of their victims are blamed for being sexually abused and exploited.
In its latest annual report on the commercial sexual exploitation
of children around the world, child rights organization ECPAT
International finds that this is especially the case with regard
to what is known in Japan as 'enjo kosai', or 'compensated dating'.
This phenomenon, which is prevalent in
parts of East Asia, including Thailand, involves schoolchildren being
lured into prostituting by adults who take advantage of their vulnerability
to arrange commercial sexual transactions with them, often via telephone
registries and Internet sites. This practice frequently involves teenage
boys and girls from middle or upper-middle-class families.
The seriousness of this form of commercial sexual exploitation of children
(CSEC) is belied by a double standard: adults are often not subject
to harsh criminal penalties and social condemnation when they sexually
exploit minors in this way, whereas their victims are stereotyped as
promiscuous and may be penalized for engaging in prostitution, according
to ECPAT International's Report on the Implementation of the Agenda
for Action Against the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children.
While 'enjo kosai' highlights the vulnerability of schoolchildren to
commercial sexual exploitation, ECPAT's report also raises concerns
about children being increasingly targeted for sexual exploitation within
the school environment itself. The report's assessment of the situation
in Africa notes that schools are a focal point for sexual exploitation.
Although school-related violence has caught the attention of publics
around the world, governments repeatedly fail to protect children at
school, and sexual crimes committed by teachers against their students
are often carried out with impunity.
For more information contact:
Deborah Muir, Communications Associate
ECPAT International, 328 Phaya Thai Road, Bangkok 10400 THAILAND
Tel: ++ 66 2 215 3388; 611 0972 (Ext 112)
E-mail: deborah@ecpat.net
Website: www.ecpat.net
Return
to News Section
