SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN

A resolution passed by Common Council on July 30, 2004

WHEREAS, for several decades, tourism has been a driving force in the economies of Asia, Latin America, and elsewhere, but sex tourism, tragically, has played a significant role in that growth, and

WHEREAS, many studies, notably “The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico” (Drs. Richard Estes and Neil Wiener, University of Pennsylvania, 2001) confirm that between 300,000 and 400,000 North American children are victimized by sexual abuse each year, and ECPAT, (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes–USA, Inc.), reports two million children exploited in child sex trade worldwide, and

WHEREAS, The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 and The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, provided new tools for fighting sexual abuse of children, and child pornography, both in the U.S. and overseas, and

WHEREAS, world leaders came together at the First and Second World Congresses Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (1996, 2001) and adopted an Agenda for Action to end child sexual exploitation and Twelve Standards for the protection of children, and in 2004 “A Code of Conduct to Protect Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism” was launched by ECPAT, UNICEF, and the Carlson Company to encourage the tourism industry to take a stand against such exploitation;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Church Women United units will work to eliminate the trafficking of children for sexual purposes in both the U.S. and worldwide by:

  1. studying the issue in Ecumenical Action Committees and at CWU forums, and in local congregations and elsewhere.

  2. collaborating with religious and secular organizations that are taking action, including agencies that assist children fleeing exploitation.

  3. lobbying for adequate funding of governmental agencies that should protect children, for laws that enhance enforcement, and for educational and media campaigns.

  4. confronting local travel agencies, insisting that they sign the Code of Conduct.

  5. confronting advertisers and other media for blurring the lines between adult sexuality and childhood body imagery.

    6.