Human Trafficking in [Chile] [other countries]Street Children in [Chile] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Chile |
Child Prostitution The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of
Children In
the early years of the 21st Century
- 2000 to 2010 gvnet.com/childprostitution/Chile.htm
|
||
|
CAUTION: The following links and accompanying text have been culled
from the web to illuminate the situation in ***
FEATURED ARTICLE *** Jen Ross, San Francisco Chronicle, www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/11/24/MNG7U38LD81.DTL [accessed 28 April 2011] But behind these high-profile
figures are the thousands of youngsters who sell themselves nightly on
Chilean streets for $1 to $50 a trick. Across the nation, there are 4,000
children working in the commercial sex trade, according to a recent study by
the National Youth Service (SENAME). Other surveys put the number as high as
15,000. Francisco, 15, has been a sex
worker for half of his life. "I saw other kids doing it," he said.
"We did it out of need."
Francisco said his mother died in childbirth, and his father was shot
to death in Colombia. He bounced from orphanage to orphanage before escaping
at age 7 to live on the streets of this capital city of 5 million
inhabitants. Jonathan, a 15-year-old
transvestite, entered the sex trade by choice. "I wanted to buy my own
clothes," said the tube-top-clad youngster, who began selling his body
at 12. He recently left the streets after several of his colleagues
disappeared. He counts himself lucky that he escaped danger. He may be the exception. Francisco has been beaten numerous
times by pimps and clients. Maria San Martín, a
former child prostitute, says she was raped by a client and lost a good
friend, who was killed by her pimp.
"Thank God I lived to tell this," she said. "But so
many girls have died." Child advocates say the Spiniak case has prompted many Chileans, who they say are
conditioned to ignore child beggars, to finally see child prostitution as a
widespread social problem. ***
ARCHIVES *** The Department of Labor’s 2004 Findings on the Worst Forms
of Child Labor www.dol.gov/ilab/media/reports/iclp/tda2004/chile.htm [accessed 28 January 2011] INCIDENCE
AND NATURE OF CHILD LABOR - Children are involved in prostitution in Human Rights Reports » 2005
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61720.htm [accessed 28 January 2011] TRAFFICKING
IN PERSONS - A
credible 2003 study concluded that more than 3,700 children and
adolescents--the vast majority of whom lived at home
or with close relatives--had been the victims of commercial sexual
exploitation in 2002-03. Anecdotal reports suggested that
young women were the primary targets for trafficking to other countries.
Traffickers reportedly used newspaper advertisements for models and product
promoters to lure girls, ages 11 to 17, into prostitution. Law enforcement
agencies indicated that traffickers looking for children also targeted
economically disadvantaged families, arguing to the parents that they were
giving the child an opportunity for a better life. SENAME, the ministries of
government and health, and other government agencies formed the Protect
Network, which conducted general public awareness and education campaigns to
prevent sexual violence and abuse, including the commercial sexual
exploitation of minors. Nearly 80 percent of SENAME's
budget supported NGO programs, particularly those that worked with street
children. Concluding Observations of the
Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1 February 2002 www1.umn.edu/humanrts/crc/chile2002.html [accessed 28 January 2011] [51] The Committee, while taking
note of the establishment of a working group to prepare a plan of action
against commercial sexual exploitation of children, expresses its concern
that, with regard to the phenomenon of commercial sexual exploitation of
children, there are no data available, legislation is inadequate, cases
involving sexually exploited children are often not investigated and
prosecuted, child victims are registered and therefore may be subjected to
criminalization, and social reintegration programs are not available. It
further notes that prostitution of boys is on the rise. Concluding Observations of the Committee on Economic,
Social, and Cultural Rights International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural
Right, www1.umn.edu/humanrts/esc/chile2004.html [accessed 19 September 2011] [9] The Committee welcomes the
adoption in January 2004 of the Law on Crimes of Commercial Sexual
Exploitation. [47] The Committee recommends that
the State party strengthen measures to combat sexual abuse and commercial
sexual exploitation of children and provide victims of such abuse with adequate
care. Five Years After ECPAT: Fifth Report on
implementation of the Agenda for Action ECPAT International, November 2001 www.no-trafficking.org/content/web/05reading_rooms/five_years_after_stockholm.pdf [accessed 13 September 2011] [B]
COUNTRY UPDATES – Report by Special Rapporteur [DOC] UN Economic and Social Council Commission on Human Rights,
Fifty-ninth session, 6 January 2003 www.unhchr.ch/Huridocda/Huridoca.nsf/0/217511d4440fc9d6c1256cda003c3a00/$FILE/G0310090.doc [accessed 28 April 2011] [35] The National Service for
Children has launched a sensibilization campaign
over the last two years and has developed a pilot project of intervention and
rehabilitation for victims of commercial sexual exploitation. The
Penal Code criminalizes the trafficking of children for prostitution or
adoption. The use of children under the age of 12 in pornography is illegal.
If the child is aged between 12 and 18 it is not illegal unless violence is
used. Parliament is currently considering modifying the Penal Code to protect
all minors under the age of 18 and to penalize the distribution, acquisition
or storing of materials of child pornography. Children do not incur any
criminal liability for their involvement in these offences. Child Prostitution in World Vision Report www.worldvision.org/worldvision/radio.nsf/0/81686E593074954988256EF5007D142C?OpenDocument [accessed 28 April 2011] The child sex trade is a problem
in many developing countries. But in news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3182930.stm [accessed 28 April 2011] Three Chilean politicians have
been accused of links with a child prostitution ring that is the subject of a
criminal investigation. A 15-year-old
boy allegedly told police he had been invited to a party by Mr Spiniak where young boys
were paid 30,000 pesos ($46) for sex. Jen Ross, San Francisco Chronicle, www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/11/24/MNG7U38LD81.DTL [accessed 28 April 2011] But behind these high-profile
figures are the thousands of youngsters who sell themselves nightly on
Chilean streets for $1 to $50 a trick. Across the nation, there are 4,000
children working in the commercial sex trade, according to a recent study by
the National Youth Service (SENAME). Other surveys put the number as high as
15,000. Francisco, 15, has been a sex
worker for half of his life. "I saw other kids doing it," he said.
"We did it out of need."
Francisco said his mother died in childbirth, and his father was shot
to death in Colombia. He bounced from orphanage to orphanage before escaping
at age 7 to live on the streets of this capital city of 5 million inhabitants. Jonathan, a 15-year-old
transvestite, entered the sex trade by choice. "I wanted to buy my own
clothes," said the tube-top-clad youngster, who began selling his body
at 12. He recently left the streets after several of his colleagues
disappeared. He counts himself lucky that he escaped danger. He may be the exception. Francisco has been beaten numerous
times by pimps and clients. Maria San Martín, a
former child prostitute, says she was raped by a client and lost a good
friend, who was killed by her pimp.
"Thank God I lived to tell this," she said. "But so
many girls have died." Child advocates say the Spiniak case has prompted many Chileans, who they say are
conditioned to ignore child beggars, to finally see child prostitution as a
widespread social problem. Jen Ross, The Christian Science Monitor, www.csmonitor.com/2004/0113/p06s01-woam.html [accessed 28 April 2011] It has taken a scandal of this
magnitude to open The Protection Project - Human Rights Reports of The The www.protectionproject.org/human_rights_reports/report_documents/chile.doc [accessed 2009] FORMS OF TRAFFICKING - A recent study estimates that
4,000 children work in the commercial sex industry in Report Of The Special Rapporteur
On The UN Economic and Social Council Commission on Human Rights,
Fifty-fifth session, 29 January 1999 www.hri.ca/fortherecord1999/documentation/commission/e-cn4-1999-71.htm At one time this article had been archived and may
possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 28 April 2011] 106. Regarding child prostitution
and pornography, prostitution is legal in All material used herein
reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107 for noncommercial,
nonprofit, and educational use. PLEASE
RESPECT COPYRIGHTS OF COMPONENT ARTICLES.
Cite this webpage as: Patt, Prof. Martin, "Child Prostitution - |
Human Trafficking in [Chile] [other countries]Street Children in [Chile] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Chile