ECPAT Information Booklet

ECPAT International
A Network for Child Protection

ECPAT Information Booklet

Layout and Design: Andrew Lawrence & Manida Naebklang July 2006 Copyright ECPAT International ECPAT International

328 Phayathai Road Ratchathewi Bangkok 10400 THAILAND Tel: +662 215 3388, +662 611 0972 Fax: +662 215 8272 Email: info@ecpat.net Web site: www.ecpat.net

During the years 2005 and 2006 ECPAT International received generous support from:

AusAID (The Australian Agency for International Development) Catholic Organization for Relief and Development (CORDAID) Church of Sweden ECPAT Luxembourg Fund for Nonviolence Groupe Developpement The Italian Cooperation, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Kinderen in de Knel Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg NZAID (New Zealand Agency for International Development) Olof Palme Center The Primates World Relief and Development Fund SIDA (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) UBS Foundation Week of Compassion

Bread for the World Christian Aid Comic Relief European Commission Global Fund for Children Irish Aid Kerkinactie Misereor Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway Oak Foundation Plan International Save the Children Costa Rica Stichting Kinderpostzegels Nederlands (SKN) UNICEF Individual Donations

Photo credits - page #: Manida Naebklang - 5, 6, 16, 19 Monica Pomi - 8, 9, 14, 18 Carmen Madrin - cover, 11, 17 Vimala Crispin - 10 Reem Morsi - 15

n 1990, researchers at a tourism consultation in Thailand first exposed the degree to which child prostitution was increasing in many Asian countries. The consultation ended with a determination to take action, and ECPAT was established as a three-year campaign focusing on ending the commercial aspect of sexual exploitation of children. The commercial sexual exploitation of children - often referred to as CSEC - consists of criminal practices that demean and threaten the physical and psychosocial integrity of children. The primary, interrelated forms of commercial sexual exploitation of children are prostitution of children, child pornography, and trafficking of children for sexual purposes. Other forms include child sex tourism, and in some cases, child marriage. Children can also be commercially sexually exploited in the context of other forms of exploitation or other, less obvious channels, such as when engaged in domestic servitude or bonded labour.

In 1996, in partnership with UNICEF and the NGO Group for the Rights of the Child, ECPAT co-organised a World Congress against the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Stockholm, Sweden. The congress was hosted by the Government of Sweden, which also played a major role in attracting support and participation from concerned governments. By then, it was evident that commercial sexual exploitation of children existed and was growing in other regions of the world. Thus, ECPAT ceased to be a regional campaign and became a global non-governmental organisation (NGO). ECPAT now works for the protection of children in every part of the world through initiatives that address the wide range of issues which impact on these violations against children. The acronym ECPAT was retained, but it now stands for End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes.

Every child is entitled to full protection from all forms of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse... States are required to protect the child from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse and promote physical and psychological recovery and social integration of the child victim.
from Stockholm Agenda for Action

The Stockholm Agenda for Action

The commercial sexual exploitation of children is a fundamental violation of human rights and childrens rights. The key element is that this violation of children and their rights arises through a commercial transaction of some sort. That is, there is an exchange in which one or more parties gain a benefit cash, goods or in-kind from the exploitation for sexual purposes of someone under the age of 18
from Semantics or Substance? NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child

t the First World Congress, the Stockholm Agenda for Action against Commercial Exploitation of Children was adopted by 122 governments and reaffirmed by 159 governments at the Second World Congress in Yokohama, Japan, in 2001. To date, 161 governments have adopted the Agenda. The Agenda for Action is a global framework for combating sexual exploitation of children, which requires governments, international agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other concerned organizations and individuals to direct technical and material resources towards the protection of children. It calls for action to improve cooperation and coordination, provide health and educational programmes, strengthen law enforcement and legislation, adopt non-punitive rehabilitation measures and encourage child and youth participation. Since 1997, ECPAT has published an annual report to monitor progress on the implementation of the Agenda for Action, which documents and analyses major issues of concern and the status and progress of initiatives taken by governments, NGOs, groups and individuals to end commercial sexual exploitation of children.

PROGRAMMES

Signatory countries with ratified NPAs Signatory countries with no NPAs Countries with no government commitment to the Stockholm Agenda for Action

National Plans of Action

CPAT International supports the implementation of the Agenda for Action by advocating for governments and civil society actors to take action to end commercial sexual exploitation of children. A priority task is to promote the development of National Plans of Action (NPA) against commercial sexual exploitation of children, including indicators of progress, goals and timeframes for implementation. An NPA is the first tangible indication of a countrys commitment and includes development of a consultative structure in which government, NGO,

children and other stakeholders participate to plan a focused and cohesive framework for effective action in five areas: coordination and cooperation, prevention, protection, recovery and reintegration, and child participation. It is a valuable tool to identify objectives, measure progress, and assist governments to implement their commitments fully, and for other stakeholders to collaborate with and support targeted efforts. An NPA is a key commitment under the Agenda and to date, 44 countries have developed an NPA.

PROGRAMMES

rafficking refers to the cross-border or internal, recruitment, transportation, harbouring, transfer or receipt of children for the purpose of sexual exploitation, forced labour, servitude, removal of organs or any similar exploitative purpose. Poverty, gender inequalities, lack of education and discrimination against ethnic minorities are key contributing factors to trafficking, whilst war or armed conflict, domestic abuse, materialism and demand for children for sex, all contribute to this complex problem. Trafficking of children for sexual purposes involves their exploitation in prostitution, pornography, sex tourism and forced marriage. It affects children of all ages but more often pre-adolescent and teenage children. Children are trafficked through personal and local contacts and networks as well as through highly organised international criminal networks. Some children are kidnapped or lured by promises of education, a new skill or a good job; others leave their countries and communities willingly in the hopes of a better life. The UN Trafficking Protocol stipulates that the consent of a victim of trafficking to the intended exploitation is irrelevant in the case of a child. It also states that coercion is not required to consider a child as being trafficked. ECPAT advocates for the adoption of effective anti-trafficking legislation that criminalises the traffickers rather than the victims. Based

Combating Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes

on a child-rights approach, ECPAT supports programmes that, address the root causes of child trafficking, develop measures for improved implementation of laws against child trafficking, and provide quality assistance to child victims. ECPAT also works with law enforcement on training activities for personnel at different levels (police officers, prosecutors, judges etc.), coordinates the information from the ECPAT global network to help identify traffickers and offers linkages to ensure assistance and support for child victims. ECPAT projects to prevent trafficking include situational analysis studies; awareness raising campaigns targeting communities, potential victims and the public to address overall demand; education for children and vocational training and income generating opportunities for older vulnerable adolescents or victims of trafficking; establishment of children support groups and other child and youth led awareness and advocacy initiatives; and the creation of help-lines that provide information to potential migrants (children and adults) about the risks connected with migration.

PROGRAMMES

hild sex tourism is the commercial sexual exploitation of children by people who travel from one place to another to engage in sexual acts with minors. Often, child sex tourists travel from a richer country to one that is less developed, or they may be travellers within their own countries or region. Some child sex tourists (preferential abusers and paedophiles) target children specifically, but most do not usually have a sexual preference for children: they are situational abusers, who unscrupulously take advantage of a situation in which children are made available to them. Child sex tourists take advantage of their anonymity as well as the socio-economic disparities in the locations they visit. They may try to rationalise their actions by claiming sex with a child is culturally acceptable or that money or goods exchanged benefit the child and community, or by setting their own thresholds for defining who is a child (under the CRC, a child is anyone under the age of eighteen). ECPAT works with the tourism and travel industry

to raise awareness, support action and take practical measures against the sexual exploitation of children in tourism. Partnerships have been established with the hotel industry, tour operators and other members of the tourism sector for prevention of child sex tourism and technical support is provided to assist the industry, governmental and international agencies in this effort. ECPAT International is a permanent member of the World Tourism Organizations Executive Committee for the Task Force on Sexual Exploitation of Children in Tourism and the Steering Committee of the Code of Conduct Project, an ECPAT project funded by UNICEF and supported by the World Tourism Organization. Tour operators and tourism organisations that adopt and sign the Code of Conduct commit themselves to informing customers on their child protection policy, training of staff and application of other measures to protect children.

For more information, see:

www.thecode.org

Preventing Child Sex Tourism

PROGRAMMES

hild pornography exploits children in many different ways. Children may be deceived, tricked or coerced into engaging in sexual acts for the production of pornography. Abuse images may also be made in the process of sexually exploiting a child without the childs knowledge. These images are then stored, distributed, sold or traded with others. Those who consume pornographic images of children perpetuate the exploitation of children by creating a demand for more images. The makers of child pornography often use their products to coerce, intimidate or blackmail children used in the making of such material, while others, who gain access to those images, may then use them to desensitize and groom other children for abuse. ECPAT works to ensure that the benefits of the Internet and new technologies are not compromised by those that seek to use it for the sexual exploitation of children. ECPAT works with governments, law enforcement, the technology industry and other NGOs to develop protocols for reporting and responding to such crimes, through awareness and education, reporting hotlines and other measures to help identify and assist the child

victims. It also advocates and works for development of comprehensive national child pornography laws to protect children. The growth of the Internet is creating more commercial opportunities for child exploiters and pornographers and the rapid development of new technologies are facilitating the development and reach of distribution networks. ECPAT seeks to develop positive cooperative relationships with ISPs and the information technology industries in order to find answers to the problems concerning the sexual exploitation of children, including the making, transmission, accessing and downloading of child pornography via Internet and other technologies. ECPAT encourages ISPs to develop codes of conduct, to include child-friendly information on their sites and to give all possible support to law enforcement agencies to prevent the criminal use of the information technologies by those seeking to exploit children.

make-IT-safe is a global campaign which calls upon the IT industry and governments to take responsibility for making online and interactive technologies safe for children and young people everywhere.

www.make-IT-safe.net

Preventing Sexual Exploitation of Children on the Internet and through New Technologies

PROGRAMMES

trong laws, together with effective enforcement procedures which are childfriendly, are important to protect children from commercial sexual exploitation. Yet many countries still lack a comprehensive legal framework for deterring crimes, managing investigations, prosecuting perpetrators and protecting and assisting children in their recovery.

ECPAT supports legal research on domestic legislation and legal procedures relevant to commercial sexual exploitation in countries around the world and analyses these gaps in light of the regional and international standards in order to recommend legislative and procedural reforms to better protect children. In an investigation of commercial sexual exploitation, the principal witness may be a child, and the law enforcement process may not take into account the vulnerability of sexually exploited children. ECPAT conducts training for police on commercial sexual exploitation issues and offers an advisory service on child-friendly legal procedures to protect children from secondary exploitation during the legal process. The programme is rights-based and works to assist police officers to understand their duties and responsibilities to protect children in their communities against commercial sexual exploitation.

Promoting Law Enforcement and Good Law Practices

Where offenders have been able to escape the jurisdiction in which they committed an offence, extra-territorial legislation can be applied to ensure an exploiter faces charges in their country of nationality.

PROGRAMMES

ommercial sexual exploitation inflicts severe physical and psychological harm on children. Where such harm occurs, it often signals a lapse or failure in the protective framework that should be in place for the care and protection of the child. For this reason, ECPAT places significant emphasis on the development and implementation of child protection measures and care standards to guide the work of those responsible for and working with children. Long-term recovery and reintegration relies on effective provision of care and continuing protection from further exploitation. However, a lack of capacity and resources, and sometimes understanding of the needs of children, means that child survivors of commercial sexual exploitation often do not receive the care and protection they require. ECPAT programmes embody a rights-based approach that recognises the inherent rights of children to, among other things, health, protection from exploitation, appropriate care and freedom of expression, and the obligation of individuals and authorities to support these rights. At a local level, ECPAT aims to strengthen and improve the capacities of grassroots organisations to reflect rights-based practices in the care and support of children. This is pursued with support for integration of care standards and child protection policies in care programs to ensure quality of services for

Care and Protection of Child Survivors of Commercial Sexual Exploitation

the recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration (or social integration) of children who have been commercially sexually exploited. Training for caregivers, social workers, psychologists, peer supporters and volunteer youth workers is also organized to develop skills in areas of psychosocial care of victims of CSEC and to provide structured opportunities for exchange of good practice. At the national and international level, ECPAT aims to ensure that the rights and needs of children are not overlooked when developing strategies to tackle commercial sexual exploitation.

PROGRAMMES

Child and Youth Participation

composed of regional youth representatives elected by the youth networks working with ECPAT groups around the world. ECPAT provides training services to promote a better understanding of child and youth participation, particularly as it relates to commercial sexual exploitation. It promotes identification and use of minimum standards for the participation of children in CSEC research, in consultations, and all other areas of public policy which impact on their lives, including in development and implementation of National Plans of Action against CSEC. It also supports development of specific specialized protocols for working with children who have been sexually exploited, develops materials for children on various aspects of commercial sexual exploitation and provides training to develop their skills in peer support, advocacy and media work, especially reaching vulnerable youth and child survivors of CSEC. The ECPAT youth programme also works on emerging CSEC issues which impact on protection of children and youth.

he participation of young people is critical in combating the commercial sexual exploitation of children. Thus, integrating their experience and perspective is vital for developing appropriate measures for their protection. Children and young people must have opportunities to express their views, advocate for their own rights, assist their peers and influence decision-making on issues that affect them. In this way they can contribute to their own protection and to the overall development of their communities. Building awareness and the capacity of children and young people to fight against commercial sexual exploitation and supporting their participation in all ECPAT initiatives, is central to ECPATs work. ECPAT supports concrete actions coordinated and implemented by children, thus a youth network has been established for this purpose. ECPAT youth are represented in the governing Board of ECPAT International by a Youth Representative. The Youth representative to the Board is further supported by an Advisory Committee

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PROGRAMMES

he documentation, analysis, exchange and dissemination of accurate and current information on the CSEC is key to ECPATs work in combating sexual exploitation of children. The EI Secretariat hosts a Resource Centre which supports the global ECPAT network and other child rights organizations with information and educational services. The Centre has several thousand catalogued books, reports, videos, CD-ROMs, newsletters and other documents on CSEC. It provides access to these materials for the child rights community, the UN, NGOs, youth, researchers media and the general public. Country specific information on initiatives to prevent, protect, and assist child victims of CSEC is maintained and shared through a CSEC database, available on the ECPAT website and maintained

The ECPAT website is the main dissemination point for ECPAT publications and information on CSEC. It is available in three languages and is regularly revised and updated with new publications and activities of the Network and the Secretariat, and with news reports from around the world. ECPAT publishes reports, booklets, brochures and other materials to support awarenessraising, knowledge building and sharing of practices and experiences for organisations lobbying for improved child protection at local levels. Reflecting the international scope of ECPATs membership, many materials are published in Spanish, French, Russian, Arabic and Thai, in addition to English. The ECPAT Secretariat also publishes a quarterly newsletter,

www.ecpat.net
by the Centre. The Centre also collaborates with law enforcement agencies to share case information and reports received and works with and responds to media information requests. It also monitors newspapers and journals to track global trends and events related to CSEC.

Information and Educational Resources

providing information on new developments and recording progress globally to eliminate CSEC. The ECPAT online database contains detailed information on the situation of CSEC in many countries and actions taken to end it.

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PROGRAMMES

Developing the ECPAT Network

ECPAT encourages the world community to ensure that children everywhere enjoy their fundamental rights free from all forms of commercial sexual exploitation

For information on how your coalition or group can join the ECPAT Network, please see www.ecpat.net or write to info@ecpat.net

CPAT is a network of organisations and individuals working at all levels to build collaboration among local civil society actors and the broader child rights community to form a global social movement to combat commercial sexual exploitation of children. ECPAT groups give depth and quality to implementation measures at the local level while the Secretariat provides technical and informational support, holds workshops and other forums to extend and exchange knowledge and capacity among groups in different countries, and represents and advocates internationally on key issues on behalf of the Network.

Every three years, ECPAT International organises a General Assembly which brings together all members of the Network to review the progress made in achieving its goals and to provide direction for the continued work against commercial sexual exploitation of children. ECPAT groups attending the Assembly also elect new members for the Executive Committee and participate in policy discussions, training and capacity-building activities while exchanging experience with other members from various parts of the world.

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Countries in which ECPAT groups are located

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ECPAT in Africa

overty, HIV/AIDS, and civil and political strife affect many countries in Africa, creating profound economic and social instability. As families are forced to migrate without adequate support to maintain their livelihood or fall victim to illness or marginalisation, children become increasingly vulnerable to commercial sexual exploitation. The abduction of children by armed militias and the sale and trafficking of children are especially problematic within Southern, Central and West Africa. This occurs primarily within the Africa region, but transcontinental trafficking of children for sexual purposes is also known to occur between Africa and Europe. In some cases, entrenched sociocultural values, attitudes and structures increase the vulnerability of African children to sexual exploitation.
ECPAT Groups in Africa Benin: CLOSE Burkina Faso: Association Burkinab pour le Survie de lEnfance (ABSE). Cote DIvoire: S.O.S. Violences Sexuelles Ethiopia: ECPAT Ethiopia / Forum on Street Children Ethiopia (FSCE) Gambia: Child Protection Alliance Kenya: ECPAT Kenya (ECPIK) Mauritius: National Childrens Council Mozambique: Rede da Criana Niger: Groupement Nigerien des Contre Lexploitation Sexuelle des Enfants (G-NESE) Nigeria: Womens Consortium of Nigeria (WOCON) South Africa: Child Welfare South Africa Tanzania: Kiota Womens Health and Development Organisation (KIWOHEDE) Togo: WAO-Afrique Uganda: ECPAT Uganda Zambia: Children in Need (CHIN)

ECPATs work in Africa supports collaborative action among local groups and organisations working to address multiple forms of CSEC. As such organisations are few and tend to work in isolation, collaborations are encouraged through holding capacity building and experience sharing forums that can support planning of coordinated and/or joint initiatives. To strengthen the ECPAT Africa Network, national and regional coordinators are based in the region to provide direct support for all programmatic activities and initiatives and to link groups with the global ECPAT network.

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ECPAT in the Middle East and North Africa

n many countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), the existence of commercial sexual exploitation of children is denied. Taboos in connection with the subject pose a major obstacle for addressing the issue in any systematic way, as do the differing definitions of what constitutes commercial sexual exploitation. For example, in many instances the practice of arranged early child marriage is considered legitimate and not a form of sexual exploitation. Research in some countries of the region indicate that street children are often victims of local street prostitution, although in a few cases organised networks have been found to exploit children for sex, for labour and other forms of abuse. Child sexual exploitation, also takes

place through child sex tourism and child pornography but little information is available on the scope of manifestation. With very few exceptions, laws contain no specific provisions to protect children against commercial sexual exploitation. Nevertheless, the MENA region is seeing increased action for combating CSEC, including awareness campaigns, child participation and development of National Plans of Action (NPA) which contain strategies to counter CSEC. ECPAT aims to work with governments, NGOs, and other actors to build a strong network to work against CSEC in the region and to undertake research to better understand its nature and manifestations. ECPAT has conducted situational analysis research in Egypt, Chad, Tunisia, Morocco, Mauritania and Yemen, and has provided support to governments, local NGOs and the private sector, for the development of NPA.

ECPAT Groups in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Egypt: NGO Coalition on Child Rights Jordan: Jordan River Foundation Lebanon: Dar Al Amal (House of Hope) Mauritania: ANAIF-PIE Morocco: National Observatory for Child Rights (ONDE)

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ECPAT in East Asia and the Pacific

ommercial sexual exploitation of children in Asia has received the most focused attention as a result of the gravity of the problem. NGOs and governments in the region have made concerted efforts to tackle the problem, particularly on cross-border trafficking in the Mekong region and in China, and on child sex tourism, which affects many countries of the region. The exploitation of children through new technologies and in the online environment, however, has been largely unaddressed despite the rapid penetration of new technologies. The Stockholm Declaration and Agenda for Action has not been adopted

uniformly in accordance with the 2004 target date identified in the Regional Commitment and Action Plan. Several governments that have adopted the Agenda for Action have yet to develop specific National Plans of Action (NPA) to combat the sexual exploitation of children. ECPAT work in the region has focused on assisting government bodies and collaborating NGOs on development, implementation and monitoring of NPA, particularly through participation in the UN Inter-Agency Group. ECPAT has also focused on supporting emerging coalitions of NGOs tackling CSEC in countries such as Indonesia, Mongolia and South Korea. Pacific island countries have also increased their involvement in research and capacity-building forums that develop skills and competencies for combating CSEC.

ECPAT Groups in East Asia and the Pacific Australia: Child Wise Cambodia: ECPAT Cambodia China (Hong Kong): Against Child Abuse Indonesia: National Coalition for the Elimination of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Japan: ECPAT / STOP Japan Japan: Street Children Committee Mongolia: Affiliate Group for ECPAT International in Mongolia New Zealand: ECPAT New Zealand Philippines: ECPAT Philippines Samoa: ECPAT Samoa South Korea: Naeil Womens Centre for Youth Taiwan: ECPAT Taiwan Thailand: ECPAT Foundation Thailand

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ECPAT in South Asia

any children in South Asia, particularly underprivileged and marginalized children, are victims of or are at risk of commercial sexual exploitation. Addressing the issue is a challenge because of deeprooted secrecy, lack of adequate measures to protect child victims and a deeply ingrained social stigma surrounding these crimes. Trafficking in children cross-border and internal for sexual exploitation is a significant concern for those working in the region. Children are trafficked from India to Bangladesh and Nepal, where many end up as sex slaves in brothels. Prostitution of children, forced marriage and child sex tourism are also major forms of sexual exploitation in the region. Inadequate laws, weak law enforcement and low rates of birth registration constrain legal protection of minors and prosecution of offenders.

The ECPAT network in South Asia is active at many levels. Groups have conducted studies on child sex tourism, the prostitution of boys and national legal frameworks for protection of children from CSEC, and have been involved in direct action such as assisting child survivors through the legal system and supporting them for their recovery and social reintegration.

ECPAT Groups in South Asia Bangladesh: Association for Community Development (ACD) Bangladesh: Ain O Salish Kendro India: Equations India: Indian Committee of Youth Organisations (ICYO) India: SANLAAP Nepal: Maiti Nepal Nepal: Child Workers in Nepal Concerned Centre (CWIN-NEPAL) Pakistan: Pakistan Paediatric Association Sri Lanka: ECPAT Sri Lanka/PEACE

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ECPAT in the Americas

ECPAT Groups in the Americas Bolivia: Proadolescentes Bolivia Brazil: ECPAT Brazil Canada: Beyond Borders Chile: ONGs Raices/Paicabi Colombia: ECPAT Colombia Costa Rica: Fundacion Paniamor Dominican Republic: MAIS Guatemala: ECPAT Guatemala Mexico: ECPAT Mexico Nicaragua: ECPAT Nicaragua (Casa Alianza/TESIS) Paraguay: Luna Nueva Uruguay: La Casa de los Nios USA: ECPAT USA USA: Sisters Offering Support (SOS)

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n Latin America and the Caribbean, children and youth are lured into commercial sexual exploitation through false promises and a lack of positive life options, while weak lawenforcement and uneven legal protection in many countries compromise efforts to fight this exploitation. Trafficking of children for sexual purposes is often linked to organised and violent crime and fighting the problem is made more difficult because of porous borders and the pull factor of the United States. A lack of legal and social protection for adolescents and poor regional coordination and collaboration hampers broader prevention efforts and services to victims. In the US, exploiters distribute images of sexual abuse of children over the Internet, while in Canada and the US the prostitution of children and youth receives inadequate attention from government.

In 2005, ECPAT concluded a multi-year project in collaboration with partner groups in Central America to promote legislative reform and improve law enforcement. Numerous technical tools were developed for police, immigration officials, and NGOs to use in their work. In South America, ECPAT has undertaken research to study the roots and manifestations of the demand for sex with children and is using this work as a base for designing targeted interventions against the many factors that fuel it. ECPAT is also supporting the development of civil society coalitions at national levels to encourage collaborative action against commercial sexual exploitation of children.

ECPAT in Europe and the CIS

n Eastern Europe, the violent nature of criminal networks controlling prostitution and trafficking has made the work of ECPAT groups extremely difficult and dangerous. Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) have witnessed the emergence of commercial sexual exploitation of children following the collapse of the Soviet Union and its consequences on their economies. It appears that much of the new child pornography circulating on the Internet comes from Eastern Europe, predominantly Russia. Historically, groups in this region developed

out of the concern that their nationals were traveling to Asia to abuse children and strong ties with Asian groups are still in place today. Preventing child sex tourism, supporting the ECPAT Network in less developed regions and countering trafficking in children are among the main activities of ECPAT groups in Western Europe. Europe leads the way in developing anti-child pornography laws and benefits from a strong network of Internet hotlines. Much attention is paid to law-enforcement issues and projects which bring together groups from countries affected by child trafficking both destination and origin to strengthen collaborative action.

ECPAT Groups in Europe & the CIS Albania: Albanian Coalition against Trafficking and Sexual exploitation of children (ACTSEC) Austria: Austrian Platform against CSEC Belarus: Children Not for Abuse Belgium: ECPAT Belgium Bulgaria: Neglected Children Society Czech Republic: Ecumenical Network for Youth Action (ENYA) Denmark: Red Barnet Estonia: Tartu Child Support Centre Finland: ECPAT Finland France: ECPAT France / Groupe Dveloppement Germany: ECPAT Germany Italy: ECPAT Italy Luxembourg: ECPAT Luxembourg Netherlands: ECPAT Netherlands Norway: ECPAT Norway / Redd Barna Poland: Pro-ECPAT Romania: Salvati Copiii Russian Federation: Russian Alliance Against CSEC Serbia and Montenegro: Beo Support Spain: ECPAT Spain Sweden: ECPAT Sweden Switzerland: ECPAT Switzerland Ukraine: All-Ukrainian Network on the Struggle Against CSEC United Kingdom: ECPAT UK

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ECPAT is a network of organisations and individuals working together to eliminate the commercial sexual exploitation of children. It seeks to encourage the world community to ensure that children everywhere enjoy their fundamental rights free from all forms of commercial sexual exploitation. The ECPAT acronym stands for End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes. ECPAT has Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC).

ECPAT International
328 Phayathai Road Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400 THAILAND Tel: +662 215 3388, 662 611 0972 Fax: +662 215 8272 Email: info@ecpat.net | media@ecpat.net Web site: www.ecpat.net