Tackling the Demand for Sexual Exploitation of Children Toward a preventive strategy Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland 7 March 2016 Eliana Riggio ECPAT International

Tackling the demand to tackle the causes of SEC Approaching the SEC market from the perspective of demand re-orients both the analysis and the solution of the problem toward a preventive, rather than a curative, point of view Shifting focus on the factors that prompt perpetrators to sexually abuse children helps identify means to stop them before harm is done

Toward building a comprehensive prevention framework to tackle SEC Need for a conceptual shift toward adopting a comprehensive policy and programming framework Addressing recovery of victims and prosecution (and possibly rehabilitation) of perpetrators while Seeking to protect all children from SEC and prevent everyone from potentially turning into a predator Only a prevention framework to SEC can ensure a comprehensive and systematic roadmap to achieve a more organic solution of the problem

Shifting towards a human rights-based approach Recognise that averting an abusive act from occurring ensures that children’s rights are protected before being infringed, as opposed to being invoked after the offence – and the life-long trauma – have been caused Adoption of a proactive rather than a reparatory methodology in human rights implementation, as promoted in international law

Learning from the Public Health experience Re-orient current SEC-related policies and replace a clinical with an epidemiological philosophy No longer targeting only the individual victim or offender but also creating shields aimed at defending entire groups potentially at risk

From a Primary Health Care to a Primary Protection model Promote a Protection for All initiative based on the progress made by the Primary Healthcare movement in promoting Health for All over four decades A Primary Protection model distinguishing between three levels of intervention: 1. Primary Prevention aiming to prevent demand for SEC before it occurs 2. Secondary Prevention aiming to prevent demand for SEC in high-risk groups 3. Tertiary Prevention aiming to prevent further SEC offences through interventions targeting child victims and offenders

Levels of prevention crossing the three layers of the SEC Demand Tree The Demand Tree. Layers of Causality Levels of prevention Pre-PrimaryPrimarySecondaryTertiary Direct offenders Facilitators /Intermediaries Underlying factors

Learning from successful strategies to prevent SEC by tackling demand

Eradicating the demand tree from its roots ECPAT engagement in preventing demand for SEC across its global network: Raising awareness and spreading information and education Supporting gender transformative processes Promoting rights-sensitive norms and practices Targeting hot-spots – child abusive groups and high prevalence geographical areas Leveraging the Internet to protect children Developing comprehensive strategies with and for children Strengthening legal measures through advocacy Engaging young people and listening to victims’ voices

Creating new awareness on SEC by focusing on demand

Activities to raise awareness help strengthen defence mechanisms while discouraging demand Prevention campaigns, through mass media, the Internet and social mobilisation effectively adopted to contrast SEC ECPAT USA, in parallel to Shared Hope International - well known experiences in the United States to mobilise national-level efforts and adopt multi-pronged strategies to raise awareness of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of children - Prevention campaigns, through mass media, the Internet and social mobilisation

Fostering gender-transformative processes & Re-educating men

Boys and men as a cross-cutting priority in awareness, education and capacity generation prevention initiatives to change perceptions of masculinity and foster gender- transformative processes The Man to Man campaign launched by Beyond Borders/ ECPAT Canada projects high-profile Canadian men taking a stand against commercial sexual exploitation of children Involves men who represent healthy examples of masculinity to propose positive role models for male children

Leveraging the Internet to prevent demand

ICTs - a double edged sword in child protection Boundless opportunities for empowering and protecting young users ICTs can be turned to the advantage of children and used to connect them to each other offering mechanisms that can protect them The Make IT Safe campaign, a global initiative spearheaded by ECPAT International - empowering young people to approach the Internet safely, educating ICT teachers and orienting Internet café owners among others

Engaging children in making their environments safe

A powerful role by young people - re-shaping the environment where they live to make it safe Mobilising their families, schools and local leaders, raising awareness, helping monitor activities by local traffickers, online predators and other offenders, and supporting at-risk peers In Latin America, through the Youth Partnership Project programme established by ECPAT Guatemala, ECPAT Mexico and PAICABI (Chile), young stakeholders involved in research, programming, monitoring and advocacy to prevent demand for SEC

Thank you for your attention. Merci pour votre attention.