Human Trafficking in [Kiribati] [other countries]Street Children in [Kiribati] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Kiribati] [other countries] |
Child Prostitution The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of
Children Republic of Kiribati [ Country-by-Country
Reports ] Kiribati
[map], consists of 33 scattered coral atolls with few natural
resources. Located in the Pacific
Ocean near the equator, it includes 8 of the 11 Line Islands, including Kiritimati (formerly Christmas Island), as well as the
Gilbert and Phoenix groups and Banaba (formerly
Ocean Island). Its capital is
Tarawa. Commercially viable phosphate
deposits were exhausted at the time of independence from the UK in 1979, with
copra and fish now representing the bulk of production and exports. Economic development is constrained by a
shortage of skilled workers, weak infrastructure, and remoteness from
international markets. |
|
CAUTION: The following links and
accompanying text have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation
in Kiribati. Some of these links may
lead to websites that present allegations that are unsubstantiated,
misleading or even false. No attempt
has been made to validate their authenticity or to verify their content. U.S.
Dept of Labor Bureau of International Labor Affairs [PDF] CHILD LABOR LAWS AND ENFORCEMENT - The Penal Code criminalizes the
procurement of minors under 15 years of age for the
purpose of sexual relations and establishes a penalty of 2 years of
imprisonment for such offenses. The Penal Code also bans parents or guardians
from prostituting children under 15 years old. Child labor laws are enforced
by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Employment. Bur of Democracy,
Human Rights & Labor - Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2006 CHILDREN - UNICEF and other international NGOs
identified child prostitution as a problem. Specifically, workers on foreign
fishing vessels often exploited underage girls. A study conducted in June
2005 by the National Youth Commission of the Republic of Korea and a
Korea-based children's rights group, and a regional report on commercial
sexual exploitation of children in the Pacific published during the year by
UNICEF, both highlighted commercial sexual exploitation of underage girls by
crew members of foreign fishing vessels that stopped in Kiribati. The reports
estimated that approximately 20 to 80 girls were involved in such
prostitution. Some of the girls worked as prostitutes in bars frequented by
crewmembers, and local I-Kiribati often acted as facilitators, delivering
girls to the boats. According to the reports the girls generally received
cash, food, or goods in exchange for sexual services. The lack of a legal ban
on prostitution hindered police efforts to stem the practice, which
continued. During the year the government, with assistance from UNICEF and
other NGOs, was working on a national plan to combat child prostitution and
child sexual abuse. Concluding
Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) - 2006 [60] The Committee is concerned at the reported
increase in commercial sexual exploitation of children in Kiribati. ‘Ugly
Koreans’ Continue Sordid Antics in South Seas After a fact-finding visit to the
South Pacific island nation of Kiribati, the National Youth Commission
revealed that Korean fishermen had not stopped buying sex from young girls
there. It’s been two years since the commission paid a visit to Kiribati
after child prostitution there grabbed international attention. During their
latest trip, seven out of 24 female prostitutes the commission met were
between 14 to 18 years of age. Pacific
Island children risk sex abuse Children in Pacific Island
countries are at high risk of being traded for sex by family members and
friends, a United Nations study has found, Stuff NZ
reports. The report from studies in
five Pacific Island countries found an alarming degree of sexual abuse and
sexual exploitation of children and that "children are most at risk in
their homes and communities and with people they know and trust". The report, by the UN Children's
Fund Pacific, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
and End Child Prostitution, and Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children
for Sexual Purposes, is based on studies in 2004 and 2005 in Fiji, Kiribati,
Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. The report in its summary said the
five studies confirmed that in each country children were sexually abused by
family members and neighbours, and that child
prostitution, child pornography, early marriage, child sex tourism and
trafficking occurred. Report on Pacific Regional Workshop on Combating Poverty
& CSEC
[PDF] www1001.unescap.org/esid/gad/Issues/CSEC/Pacific_Regional_Consultation_report_Sept2003.pdf [p.40] CSEC - There have been reported cases of CSEC in
Kiribati. Two nightclubs operating on Tarawa are known to have used young
girls for business promotional purposes and the Social Welfare Division
suspects that Korean fishing vessels may be involved in CSEC. Child Sexual Abuse
and Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in the Pacific [PDF] 3.2 TYPES AND PATTERNS OF CHILD
SEXUAL ABUSE - The
Kiribati study reported that there were more than 15 cases of “defilement”
(sexual intercourse with a girl under 13) between 1999 and 2004, with four
cases of child rape and one attempted child rape between May and September
2000. Gender
and HIV/AIDS in the Asia and Pacific Region [PDF] [p.7] B. PACIFIC ISLANDS - Korea’s National Youth
Commission has interviewed residents in Kiribati, Korean fishermen, and
others in collaboration with End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and
Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes' (ECPAT)-Korea, and found several
underage sex workers in the bars solicited by the fishermen. All material used herein
reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC §
107 for noncommercial, nonprofit, and educational use |
Human Trafficking in [Kiribati] [other countries]Street Children in [Kiribati] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Kiribati] [other countries]