Plea to protect children from sex trade

Date: 04/04/02

THE EU has been urged to do more to help prevent children being lured into the sex trade.

The International Forum for Child Welfare (IFCW) has questioned the political will of the Union to tackle the problem.

Brussels-based IFCW, which represents a network of worldwide child welfare agencies, says children's rights should be at the core of EU policy.

Owen Keenan, the group's president, said: 'Could there be a starker reminder of the threats that children face, in every part of the globe, than the fact that up to one million children enter the sex industry every year?

'Yet UNICEF's (United Nations Children's Fund) estimate probably represents only the tip of a gigantic iceberg of trauma, abuse and exploitation of children worldwide.'

He says the problem is particularly rife in India, where an estimated 200,000 young Nepalese women are working in brothels.

IFCW criticises the EU for making 'little progress' on plans to combat child sexual exploitation and human trafficking.

'Member states cannot agree on common sanctions for those convicted of trafficking,' added Keenan.

IFCW holds its annual conference in Limassol, Cyprus, from 22-24 May.

The International Forum for Child Welfare (IFCW) has questioned the political will of the European Union to tackle the problem of the child sex trade and has called on the EU to do more.