Human Trafficking in [Venezuela] [other countries]Street Children in [Venezuela] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Venezuela] [other countries] |
Child Prostitution The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of
Children Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela [ Country-by-Country
Reports ] The Bolivarian
Republic of Venezuela is located in N South America [map]. It has a coastline
1,750 mi (2,816 km) long on the Caribbean Sea (N) and is bordered by Brazil
(S), by Colombia (W & SW), and by Guyana (E). Its capital and largest city is
Caracas. To alleviate the burden of
the economic crisis, the government has strengthened the Food Program,
particularly the popular markets. The
Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports launched a campaign emphasizing the
value of education. The coverage of the
"Bolivarian Schools", where all-day-long educational, recreational
activities and meals are offered, has increased. Integrated Early Child Development is
considered a priority. |
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CAUTION: The following links and
accompanying text have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation
in Venezuela. 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 INCIDENCE
AND NATURE OF CHILD LABOR - Children are also involved in begging, petty theft on the streets,
prostitution, and drug trafficking. Venezuela is a destination, transit, and
source country for children trafficked for the purpose of sexual
exploitation. Children are trafficked internally for labor and sexual
exploitation. CURRENT
GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND PROGRAMS TO ELIMINATE THE WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOR - The National Institute for
Minors has made efforts to address the commercial sexual exploitation of
children by establishing Local Social Protection networks for children and
adolescents who are at high risk. These networks are comprised of public and
private institutions and organizations that contribute toward the development
of a coordinated local plan in regions of the country where children are most
vulnerable. Bur of Democracy,
Human Rights & Labor - Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005 SECTION 6
WORKER RIGHTS – [d]
The law protects children from exploitation in the workplace. The Ministry of
Labor and the National Institute for Minors enforced child labor policies
effectively in the formal sector of the economy but less so in the informal
sector. The Foundation for Training in the Investigation of Human Resources
estimated in 2004 that there were 1.6 million children working in various
sectors of the labor market, including 206 thousand involved in prostitution, panhandling, or drug
trafficking. Concluding
Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) - 1999 [32] The Committee expresses its
concern at the absence of data and of a comprehensive study on the issue of sexual
commercial exploitation and sexual abuse of children, at the lack of a
national plan of action to address this issue and at the inadequacy of the
State party's legislation to deal with it. Concluding
Observations of the Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights [16] The Committee is alarmed
about the high rate of domestic violence and the extent of child prostitution
and trafficking in children, and regrets the lack of available statistics on
the number of street children. The Committee is deeply concerned about the
extent of the sex trade involving children and the inability of the State
party to address these issues. [27] The Committee urges the State
party to indicate, in its next periodic report, the problem of the measures
it has undertaken to address the problem of street children and, in
particular, the problem of their sexual exploitation. Report
by Special Rapporteur [DOC] [78] The sale, trafficking and use
of children in prostitution and pornography are punishable under the Statutory
Law for the Protection of Children and Adolescents. Those who
promote, benefit from, or assist in the exploitation of children are
criminally liable and may receive prison sentences of 2 to 8 years. Child
victims do not incur criminal liability. Trafficking
and Sexual Exploitation Between Venezuela and Ecuador BACKGROUND - Children from Ecuador are
trafficked into Venezuela to serve as prostitutes and to work as street
vendors and housemaids. They usually
have been kidnapped, sold by their parents, or deceived by false employment
opportunities. Although first time
exploitation through prostitution occurs on average at age 12, children as
young as 7 are sexually exploited as well.
Of the 40,000 sexually exploited children in Venezuela, 78% are girls
between 8 and 17. Conclusions
& Recommendations - Committee On Elimination Of Racial Discrimination [19] The Committee notes with
concern ……. More particularly, in the centers of illegal gold prospecting,
there is evidence that indigenous children and adolescents are subjected to
labor exploitation and the worst forms of child labor, including servitude
and slavery, child prostitution, trafficking and sale. Written
statement submitted by Human Rights Advocates [3] Thousands of Ecuadorian children
are smuggled through Colombia and brought into Venezuela to work in virtual
slavery conditions as prostitutes. The problem is attributed to corruption
among Ecuadorian and Venezuelan officials, who are accused by many as
covering-up. All material used herein
reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC §
107 for noncommercial, nonprofit, and educational use |
Human Trafficking in [Venezuela] [other countries]Street Children in [Venezuela] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Venezuela] [other countries]