In fulfilment of the mandate of the General Assembly of the OAS, Resolution AG/RES.1667 (XXIX-O/99) of 7 June 1999, the IIN, trough the Inter-American Cooperation Programme for the Prevention and Eradication of Sexual Exploitation, Smuggling of and Trafficking in Children, presents the Report to the Secretary General of the OAS 2024, Addressing the Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents in the States of the Region.
The Report aims to submit an overview of the current status of the problem of sexual exploitation of children and adolescents and how the States of the region approach it, from a comprehensive perspective, over the period 2019-2024.
Two sources of information were used in preparing the report:
- An enquiry form sent to the States. A Concept Note and Enquiry Form containing 28 questions (organized in 6 blocks, matching the Stockholm Categories) referring to the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents in a broad sense, including all forms and scenarios, was sent to the Representatives of the Member States before the Directing Council of the IIN.
- State reports to the Committee on the Rights of the Child on the measures taken to give effect to the rights recognized in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (Art. 44 CRC) and the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography.
The report contains information from the eight States that responded to the enquiry: Canada, Chile,3 Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Guyana, Mexico and Peru, thus achieving representation from all sub-regions of the Americas.
It consists of two parts. The first is a synthesis of the information collected, organized according to the categories defined at the First World Congress in Stockholm. In the second part, by way of conclusions and recommendations, there is an analysis of the information, highlighting those aspects common among the States, as well as matters that have shown progress and encountered challenges over the last five years.
It is hoped that the Report will serve as a general diagnosis of the current state of play of the approach to SEC in the countries of the region, which will make it possible to identify successes and challenges that persist. As a result, specific actions may be implemented or investigations into a particular manifestation of the issue and/or a specific action element can be strengthened.