Human Trafficking in [Suriname] [other countries]
Street Children in [Suriname] [other countries]
Child Prostitution in [Suriname] [other countries]
 

Child Prostitution

The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

In the first ten years of the 21^st Century - 2000 to 2009

Republic of Suriname The economy is dominated by the mining industry, with exports of alumina, gold, and oil accounting for about 85% of exports and 25% of government revenues, making the economy highly vulnerable to mineral price volatility. In 2000, the government of Ronald Venetiaan, returned to office and inherited an economy with inflation of over 100% and a growing fiscal deficit. He quickly implemented an austerity program, raised taxes, attempted to control spending, and tamed inflation. The Venetiaan administration also has created a stabilization fund to insulate future revenue from commodity shocks. [The World Factbook, U.S.C.I.A. 2009]

CAUTION:  The following links and accompanying text have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation in Suriname. 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.

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The Protection Project - Suriname [DOC]

FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE TRAFFICKING INFRASTRUCTURE - Seventy percent of Suriname’s population lives below the poverty line. An increase in child prostitution in Suriname has been reported; both boys and girls are involved. Many Surinamese believe that the chance of contracting HIV/AIDS from a child is much lower than the chance of contracting it from an adult, a belief that fuels underage prostitution. Suriname is an ideal transit country for trafficking because it is one of the few countries that issue temporary work permits for migrants in prostitution allegedly en route to other countries.

FORMS OF TRAFFICKING - Child prostitution has reportedly increased in Suriname. Poor parents increasingly bring their children into mining towns to work in the sex trade. Child labor is also considered a growing problem in Suriname. Women are reportedly recruited from Brazil as temporary wives to provide sex to miners in Guyana and Suriname. Women are also promised waitress or other jobs in Paramaribo or Suriname’s mining towns, only to find themselves caught in trafficking rings. Traffickers can receive US$500 from club owners for a Brazilian woman. Many of the women come from Brazil’s poor northern regions. Women and girls who are sold to club owners must pay off large debts. The club owners confiscate the victims’ passports until the debts are paid off.

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U.S. Dept of Labor Bureau of International Labor Affairs

INCIDENCE AND NATURE OF CHILD LABOR - Commercial sexual exploitation of girls and boys is allegedly increasing in Suriname. There were reports of girls being trafficked to and through the country for commercial sexual exploitation. Sexual exploitation of Maroon girls in the interior of the country is also reportedly a concern.

Bur of Democracy, Human Rights & Labor - Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005

TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS – There also were reports of underage Hindustani and Maroon girls and Javanese and Hindustani boys trafficked within the country for prostitution by recruiters or caretakers.

Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) - 2000

[57] The Committee expresses its concern about the increasing number of child victims of commercial sexual exploitation, including prostitution and pornography, involving both boys and girls. Concern is also expressed at the insufficient programs for the physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration of child victims of such abuse and exploitation.

ECPAT: Fifth Report on implementation of the Agenda for Action [DOC]

www.ecpat.net/eng/Ecpat_inter/publication/other/english/Doc_page/ecpat_5th_a4a_2001_full.doc

At one time this article had been archived and may possibly still be accessible [here]

[B] COUNTRY UPDATES – SURINAME – The government has stated that it “acknowledges and underscores the high priority of child protection against all forms of violence”. According to available information, most actions are centered around child abuse rather than the commercial sexual exploitation of children. These services for sexually abused children are provided by NGOs. The Foundation Maxi Linder is reportedly working on commercial sexual exploitation.

Dying to Leave

VICTIMS - Roughly 30 percent of the population is younger than 14 years old, a situation that makes juvenile street vendors, newspaper sellers, or shop assistants a common sight on the streets of Paramaribo, the ILO reports. For many, the transition to prostitution is seamless. ECPAT reports that parents strapped for cash increasingly bring their children into mining towns to work in the sex trade.

The Protection Project - Suriname [DOC]

FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE TRAFFICKING INFRASTRUCTURE - Seventy percent of Suriname’s population lives below the poverty line. An increase in child prostitution in Suriname has been reported; both boys and girls are involved. Many Surinamese believe that the chance of contracting HIV/AIDS from a child is much lower than the chance of contracting it from an adult, a belief that fuels underage prostitution. Suriname is an ideal transit country for trafficking because it is one of the few countries that issue temporary work permits for migrants in prostitution allegedly en route to other countries.

FORMS OF TRAFFICKING - Child prostitution has reportedly increased in Suriname. Poor parents increasingly bring their children into mining towns to work in the sex trade. Child labor is also considered a growing problem in Suriname. Women are reportedly recruited from Brazil as temporary wives to provide sex to miners in Guyana and Suriname. Women are also promised waitress or other jobs in Paramaribo or Suriname’s mining towns, only to find themselves caught in trafficking rings. Traffickers can receive US$500 from club owners for a Brazilian woman. Many of the women come from Brazil’s poor northern regions. Women and girls who are sold to club owners must pay off large debts. The club owners confiscate the victims’ passports until the debts are paid off.

"Tourism and Sex Work in the Caribbean" by Kamala Kempadoo

This book focuses on the experiences and views of women, men and children who sell sex. Apart from attention to sex tourism in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Barbados and Jamaica, the book also examines sex work in the gold mining industry in the hinterlands of Suriname and Guyana, and in the entertainment sector in Belize and the Dutch Antilles.

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Human Trafficking in [Suriname] [other countries]
Street Children in [Suriname] [other countries]
Child Prostitution in [Suriname] [other countries]