9 March 2016

ITEM 3
Clustered ID w SRSGs
Clustered ID with:
- SR on torture
- SR on sale of children

Full text of the statement:

Firstly, we would like to thank the Special Representative for her work in preparing this report.

Our two organizations have been deeply shocked and saddened to hear about the ongoing sale of children in many parts of the world, particularly in areas of conflict such as Syria, Iraq and the Democratic Republic of Congo just to name a few. The usage of children the most innocent and fragile individuals of human society, as objects to be abused and harmed is shocking. This particular tragedy has only been made possible at this scale as a result of ongoing lawlessness and conflict leaving a vaccum in security for criminal elements to take advantage of children. The recent events showed the sale of children in the Levant to become brides and slaves, is truly shocking to anybody with a conscience.

Whilst most of us would view the constant and ongoing improvement in technology as a positive advancement in improving our lives, it is sadly also being exploited by criminals to facilitate their trade in children. Through the online advertising of child prostitutes to the sharing and distribution of child pornography. The internet has sadly made it easier to attain these illegal services, and thus has also had the adverse effect of increasing the demand.

We thus agree with the report for both an increase in the efforts of cyber security and the security organs of various states to act upon any leads to crimes of this nature. This being the best short term solution in combating this problem. We wish to stress that we fully support the reports call for self-identified paedophiles to come forth and seek help with professionals. As mentioned in the report this should go hand in hand with a media campaign, that both discourages people from engaging in paedophilia, as well as raise awareness to the fact that this is a serious issue.

This is another issue where we see children falling victim to criminals that take advantage of a demand. This demand leaves children with permanent psychological and physical scars, that ruin their entire childhood, and haunt them into their adult life. The main cause for the existence of this exploitation is undoubtedly poverty.

The International Organization for the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination and, Geneva International Centre for Justice would like to highlight the fact that poverty is the source of many evils. Poverty often increases corruption amongst individuals tasked with upholding and enforcing the law, which in turn allows for criminals to act with impunity in luring children to their criminal schemes of child prostitution and pornography. We recommend the international community come together and develop a joint universal campaign of awareness against child sex tourism and paedophilia and increased monitoring of child pornography online. Once again we wish to thank the Special Representative for drafting this report.