PEMUN 2018 UNICEF Child Protection from Exploitation in Developing Countries Chairs: Carola Genolet, Victoria Smith, Jordi de la Torre and Paulina Pons. 1
Welcome delegates! We would like to welcome you to the 2018 PEMUN Conference. During this simulation, the issue that will be discussed is Child Protection from Exploitation in Developing Countries. This issue is concerning and has been present since the late 1700s. UNICEF is a non-profit organization that makes sure children s rights are acknowledged and respected. It has a big influence on Child Slavery since UNICEF promotes the idea that children should claim their rights. In this document you will find information about the committee. We recommend you to make further research. If you have any questions or concerns do not hesitate to contact us. Sincerely your chairs, Carola Genolet (cgenolet.cu@peterson.mx) Vicky Smith (vsmith.cu@peterson.mx) Paulina Pons (paulinapons.cu@peterson.mx) Jordi de la Torre ( jdelatorrep.cu@peterson.mx ) 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction to Committee......pg. 4 Introduction of the problem....pg. 4 History of the problem.... pg. 5 UN actions...pg. 5-6 Current situation..pg. 6 Country Involvement...pg. 7-11 Controversial points... pg. 11 Possible solutions....pg. 11 Questions to consider..pg. 12 Resources/References....pg. 12 3
Introduction to Committee UNICEF was founded in 1946. Their mission: protect children s lives, promote their rights, and help them become the people they were supposed to be. Their mission: working with people so that children can overcome any obstacles that have been put in their way being by war, famine, poverty, disease, discrimination, and many more. They believe that if a child is treated properly at early stages of life, then that child will be their strongest when they have grown. UNICEF works towards equality for both men and women, light and dark. UNICEF strives to prevent death and spreading of horrible diseases. UNICEF encourages a safe environment for children, someplace where they will be able to forget about violence, abuse, or exploitation. Working in 190 countries all over the world, the United Nations Children s Fund aims to better every child s life and relieve any of their sufferings. For every child. Introduction of the problem Everyone is vulnerable in the face of exploitation, especially children. Millions of children are exploited every single day, and they have been for a long time. To use someone else for your own gain is not something specific to gender, race, socioeconomic background, age, religion, or culture. It can happen to anyone, anywhere. Some children might be at a disadvantage in the face of someone who wishes to use them for their own benefit because of everything that was mentioned above. They all deserve the same protection. Exploitation is often practiced by someone who the child knows, such as a family member or a teacher. The number of reported cases, perpetrators blamed and held accountable for their actions is minimal. There is evidence that supports that exploitation affects a child s physical and mental health, not allowing them to participate in their community. 4
History of the Problem Child abuse has existed and flourished in all cultures and ethnic backgrounds, in all its forms.throughout history, children were considered property. Parents had the unrestricted authority to do to a child whatever was deemed necessary. Usually the father made all the disciplinary decisions.millions of children are exploited every single day, and they have been for a long time. In ancient Rome, fathers had the authority to sell, kill, maim, sacrifice or otherwise do with a child as he saw fit. Typically, the father exercised this power if the child was born deformed, weak, disabled, or in any way different than was considered the norm. In these cases, it was not unusual for a Roman father to declare the child unfit to live.sexual abuse within the family has always existed, in spite of a universal taboo. From Biblical literature, to the Inca, to the Egyptians, virtually all types of incest are described. Even today, child sexual abuse continues, despite societal taboos.historically, parents have used their children for profit. In England and the Americas, during industrialization, children were placed in apprenticeships, workhouses, orphanages, placement mills, factories, farms, and mines. From 1870 to 1930, over 8000 children were taken from the streets of Dublin and London, then shipped to Canada to work on farms and in factories. The children were at the mercy of the adults who claimed them. UN Actions UNICEF is committed to protecting children from the immediate and long-term effects of natural disasters and armed conflicts, which expose children to heightened risks of violence, abuse and exploitation. In such contexts, UNICEF supports children s caregivers and arranges for safe spaces 5
for children to play, learn and receive support for their psychological and mental well-being ; identifies, reunites and cares for children separated from their families and caregivers; supports holistic assistance for children and adults who have suffered gender-based violence ; actively works to release children associated with armed forces or armed groups and supports their community reintegration; promotes integrated case management of vulnerable children; helps to coordinate humanitarian actors working on child protection, gender-based violence and mental health and psychosocial support of children; monitors, reports on and responds to grave child rights violations ; and actively works to put in place measures that reduce the risks of and prevent children from being harmed. Current Situation One cannot reduce the number of children living on the streets without also engaging with the problems at home or in school that could explain their situation. A child who faces the risk of being trafficked, may also be disabled, in conflict with the law and experience violence in the home. Understanding the underlying causes and addressing this interconnectedness is key.child protection systems seek to address the full spectrum of risk factors in the lives of all children and their families. Along with partners, including governments, non-governmental organizations, civil society actors and the private sector, UNICEF promotes the strengthening of all co mponents of child protection systems - human resources, finances, laws, standards, governance, monitoring and services. Depending on the country context, child protection systems may cut across part of the social welfare, education, health, and security sectors. According to Casa Alianza, each year, approximately one million more children around 6
the world are introduced into commercial sexual exploitation.globally, approximately 40 million children are subjected to child abuse each year Country Involvement Cameroonian children are exploited in domestic service, restaurants, street begging or vending, artisanal gold mining, gravel quarries, fishing, animal breeding, and agriculture (on onion, cotton, tea and cocoa plantations), as well as in urban transportation and construction working as errand boys and laborers. Cameroon Many children are subjected to sex trafficking within the country. Girls from Ethiopia s rural areas are exploited in domestic servitude and prostitution within the country, while boys are subjected to forced labor in traditional weaving, herding, guarding, and street vending. The central market in Addis Ababa is home to one of the largest collection of brothels in Africa, with Ethiopia girls as young as 8 years old in prostitution in these establishments. Sierra Leone may also be a destination country for children trafficked from neighboring West African countries for forced begging, forced labor, and Sierra Leone exploitation in prostitution. Sudanese girls are vulnerable to sex trafficking in restaurants and brothels. Sudan Government security forces recruited and used children as combatants and in 7
support roles Guatemalan women, girls, and boys are exploited in sex trafficking within the Guatemala country and in Mexico, the United States, Belize, and other foreign countries. Gangs use children for illicit activities, including drug trafficking, and some of these children are trafficking victims. Salvadoran men, women, and children have been subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor in Guatemala, Mexico, Belize, El Salvador and the United States. Russian women and children were reportedly victims of sex trafficking in Russia Russian Federation and abroad, including in Northeast Asia, Europe, Central Asia, Africa, the United States, and the Middle East. Brazilian women and children are exploited in sex trafficking within the country, and federal police report higher child prostitution rates in the north and northeast Brazil regions. Criminal gangs subject children from Yemen to forced labor as beggars and street Saudi Arabia vendors. Ethnic Roma children, and increasingly children of refugee populations, are Turkey subjected to forced begging on the street Nepali women and girls are subjected to sex trafficking in Nepal, India, and the Middle East, and also are subjected to forced labor in Nepal and India as domestic servants, beggars, factory workers, mine workers, and in the adult entertainment Nepal industry. 8
Colombian children working in the informal sector, including as street vendors, are vulnerable to labor trafficking. Colombian children and adults are exploited in forced begging in urban areas. Illegal armed groups forcibly recruit children to serve as combatants and informants, to cultivate illegal narcotics, or to be Colombia exploited in prostitution. Children are trafficked to Middle Eastern countries for sport such as camel racing. There are no national or regional estimates for the number of children trafficked India every year. But 40% of prostitutes are children Chinese nationals in Angola exploit Angolan children in brick-making factories, construction, and rice farming. Girls as young as 13-years-old are prostituted. Angolan adults use children under the age of 12 for forced criminal activity, as Angola children cannot be criminally prosecuted. Young Batswana serving as domestic workers for extended family or friends of family in some cases may be denied access to education and basic necessities or subjected to confinement or verbal, physical, or sexual abuse all conditions indicative of forced labor. Batswana girls are exploited in prostitution within the Botswana country, including in bars and along major highways by truck drivers Students and isolated foreign minors are also increasingly exploited for sexual purposes. Women and children from Suriname are victims of sex trafficking in French Guyana. Roma and other unaccompanied minors in France continue to be France vulnerable to forced begging and forced theft. 9
Observers expressed concerns about the government s limited identification of and Netherlands assistance to Dutch child trafficking victims. Unaccompanied migrant children are vulnerable to sex trafficking and forced Denmark labor, including theft and other forced criminality. Girls from the Tibet Autonomous Region are reportedly trafficked to other parts of China for domestic servitude and forced marriage. Some evidence of child labor has been reported by media outlets, but the government has publicized only China limited data on the subject. UK children are subjected to sex trafficking within the country. Children and men, mostly from Vietnam and China, are compelled to work in cannabis cultivation; UK many are held in debt bondage. Current estimates suggest up to 100,000 U.S. citizen children are trafficked in the USA United States each year Canadian girls, boys, and women are exploited in sex trafficking across the country; women and girls from Aboriginal communities and girls in the child Canada welfare system are especially vulnerable Approximately 17 percent of the identified trafficking victims are children. Foreign unaccompanied minors who arrived in Germany, were particularly vulnerable to human trafficking, including forced begging and coerced criminal Germany Republic of behavior. Governmental anti-trafficking efforts; proactively investigate and prosecute South 10
Korea Koreans engaging in sex acts with child sex trafficking victims in South Korea and abroad. The Government of Italy fully meets the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. The government continued to demonstrate serious and sustained Italy efforts during the reporting period Controversial Points Controversial points to this topic are: -People that force a child to work should be sent to jail no matter what, even if it is a familiar. -Children should never work even though is an extreme hunger situation for the child. -Children are easy to control so they are very improbable for them to reveal, so this creates a more peaceful environment. -Child labor is cheaper so it benefits the businesses. Possible Solutions This problem has been occurring decades ago and there seems to be no simple solution to end it. Some possible solutions are: - Learning the indicators of human trafficking to identify a potential trafficking victim. - Some countries have a National Human Trafficking Hotline, to help victims. - Education to children about human trafficking to prevent predators. - Promote education and safety in neighborhoods. - Ending poverty is one of the most efficient ways to prevent predators from even tempting 11
them to enslave children. Questions to Consider 1. How can education prevent exploitation? 2. How should child exploitation be penalized (always considering the sovereignty of each country)? 3. What are developed countries doing against child exploitation? 4. How can child exploitation be prevented? 5. To what extent is foster care a solution? Resources https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/dec/28/children-increasingly-used-as-weapons-of -war-unicef-warns?cmp=share_iosapp_other https://limun.org.uk/fckfiles/file/unicef.pdf https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/258876.pdf https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/271339.pdf https://www.state.gov/j/tip/what/index.htm https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-disturbing-reality-of-human-trafficking-and-children _us_58b1d696e4b0658fc20f95fa https://www.forbes.com/sites/unicefusa/2017/01/18/weve-come-a-long-way-in-the-fight-agai nst-child-trafficking-but-there-is-more-work-to-do/#5e053c4a2526 http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/organized-crime/intro/untoc.html#fulltext 12
https://www.unicef.org/protection/57929_57972.html http://edition.cnn.com/specials/world/freedom-project https://www.unicef.org/protection/57929_57990.html 13