C S E C The Commercial Sexual
Exploitation of Children In the early years of the 21st Century, 2000 to
2025 gvnet.com/childprostitution/Tonga.htm
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CAUTION: The following links
and accompanying text have been culled from the web to illuminate the
situation in Tonga.
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. HOW TO USE THIS WEBPAGE Students If you are looking for
material to use in a term-paper, you are advised to scan the postings on this
page and others to see which aspects of child prostitution are of particular
interest to you. You might be
interested in exploring how children got started, how they survive, and how
some succeed in leaving. Perhaps your
paper could focus on runaways and the abuse that led to their leaving. Other factors of interest might be poverty,
rejection, drug dependence, coercion, violence, addiction, hunger, neglect,
etc. On the other hand, you might
choose to write about the manipulative and dangerous adults who control this
activity. There is a lot to the
subject of Child Prostitution. Scan
other countries as well as this one.
Draw comparisons between activity in adjacent countries and/or
regions. Meanwhile, check out some of
the Term-Paper
resources that are available on-line. Teachers Check out some of
the Resources
for Teachers attached to this website. ***
ARCHIVES *** ECPAT Perceptions
of Frontline Welfare Workers on the Sexual Exploitation of Children in the
Pacific
[PDF] Rosalind Fennell,
ECPAT International, 2019 [accessed 8
September 2020] In 2019, ECPAT
International conducted a detailed survey that targeted Pacific region
welfare workers directly managing a range of cases with children. Frontline
staff in Fiji, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa and
Kiribati were identified by local experts and supported to complete an online
survey. The main objective was to collect new data that helps describe a
nuanced picture of how sexual exploitation of children (SEC) is occurring
within Pacific communities and how it is presenting to those working on the
welfare frontline. Human
Rights Reports » 2019 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices U.S. Dept of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and
Labor, March 10, 2020 www.state.gov/reports/2019-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/tonga/ [accessed 8
September 2020] SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN - The minimum age for consensual sex is 15. Violators who sexually abuse children may be charged with “carnal knowledge of a child under age 12,” which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, or “carnal knowledge of a child under 15,” which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. There were anecdotal reports of Tongan children being subjected to sex trafficking. The law prohibits the procurement of women and girls younger than age 21 for commercial sexual exploitation but does not criminalize the procurement of boys for the same. The law also prohibits child pornography with penalties of a maximum fine of TOP 100,000 ($43,000) or a maximum of 10 years in prison for individuals and a maximum fine of TOP 250,000 ($108,000) for corporations; however, the use of children younger than age 14 in the production of pornography is not criminally prohibited. 2018 Findings on
the Worst Forms of Child Labor Office of Child
Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking, Bureau of International Labor
Affairs, US Dept of Labor, 2019 www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ILAB/child_labor_reports/tda2018/ChildLaborReportBook.pdf [accessed 8
September 2020] Note:: Also check out this country’s report in the more recent edition DOL
Worst Forms of Child Labor [page 1139] The Criminal
Offences Act prohibits the procurement of women and girls under age 21 for
commercial sexual exploitation, but does not criminalize the procurement of boys
for the same. (18) In addition, the Act does not sufficiently prohibit
commercial sexual exploitation, because the use of children under age 14 in
the production of pornography is not criminally prohibited. The Act also does
not specifically prohibit using children in illicit activities, particularly
in the production and trafficking of drugs. (11,18,19)
In addition, the Defence Services Act does not
prohibit the recruitment of children by non-state armed groups. (12) The Protection
Project - Tonga [DOC] The www.protectionproject.org/human_rights_reports/report_documents/tonga.doc [accessed 2009] FORMS OF TRAFFICKING - Child sex tourism
and prostitution appear to be increasing in the Pacific region in general,
and anecdotal evidence suggests that child prostitution is emerging in ***
EARLIER EDITIONS OF SOME OF THE ABOVE *** The Department of Labor’s 2006 Findings on
the Worst Forms of Child Labor [PDF] www.dol.gov/ilab/programs/ocft/PDF/2006OCFTreport.pdf [accessed 31
December 2010] Note:: Also check out this country’s report in the more recent edition DOL
Worst Forms of Child Labor [page 420] INCIDENCE AND NATURE OF CHILD LABOR - There are no reports
of child labor existing in the formal or informal economy. During 2006, there
were increased reports of workers on foreign fishing vessels soliciting
underage girls for prostitution. CHILD LABOR LAWS AND
ENFORCEMENT
- Tonga does not have legislation setting the minimum age for work. The law
prohibits slavery, which can be interpreted to include forced or bonded
labor. The owning and/or operating of a brothel, pimping, and soliciting in a
public place are all prohibited by the law. Penalties for offenses range from
imprisonment from 6 months to 2 years. The law also prohibits any person from
assaulting a child in an indecent manner, abducting girls, and procuring or
attempting to procure any girl under the age of 21 for trafficking for
prostitution. The maximum punishment for these offenses is imprisonment for
up to 5 years. There is no military conscription in Tonga. Human Rights
Reports » 2006 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78793.htm [accessed 11
February 2020] WOMEN
- Prostitution
is not illegal, but activities such as soliciting in a public place,
procuring, operating a brothel, and trading in women are criminal offenses.
During the year there was an increase in prostitution for men from foreign
fishing vessels, especially among women under the age of 18. 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 - |
