SE Asia must curb child trafficking: Unicef

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) urged on Monday Southeast Asian nations to enhance cooperation to curb child trafficking for sexual purposes in the region.

Unicef's representative in Indonesia, Steven Allen, said on Monday that the region needed to do more to enforce laws so that child exploiters were systematically pursued and charged.

"Addressing the demand side also involves behavioral changes in men and (changes) in the status of girls and women," he said.

Regional surveys showed that the trafficking of children was "lucrative and well-organized, within and between countries, and linked to criminal activity and corruption," he said.

Speaking at a two-day seminar -- which opened on Monday -- on child trafficking for sexual purposes, in Medan, North Sumatra, Steven conceded that a number of child traffickers and exploiters had been charged in Indonesia under articles of the criminal code and child protection law.

"But more still needs to be done to ensure that child traffickers and exploiters are systematically pursued and charged," he said in his speech, which was made available to the Jakarta Post by Unicef.

According to Unicef, about 70 thousand children -- some as young as nine-years old -- are the victims of sexual exploitation in Indonesia at present.

In Asia, meanwhile, at least 400,000 children are being trafficked for sexual exploitation purposes every year.

Steven said that an agreement against the trafficking of children adopted last year by Thailand and Cambodia should serve as a model for other countries in the region.

The seminar was organized by the Medan-based Center for Child Protection and Study, the Office of the State Minister of Women's Empowerment and the North Sumatra provincial government and supported by Unicef, the Catholic Organization for Relief and Development and others.

Some 300 representatives, including leading activists from non-governmental organizations from Southeast Asian countries are participating in the seminar.

Meanwhile, Unicef spokeswoman, Julie Lebegue said that Indonesia was yet to seriously cooperate with neighboring countries to overcome the long-standing child trafficking problems.

She said that growing child trafficking was the result of a consumptive lifestyle, poverty and the lack of parents' awareness of the importance of giving their children education.

Child trafficking is a problem in a number of Indonesian cities such as Batam, Riau province and Medan, she confirmed.

Ahmad Sofian, director of the Center for Child Protection and Study shared Julie's opinion, saying regional cooperation was imperative to fight the growing trade in children, especially for sexual purposes.

"How can we fight effectively when states in the region are mostly doing it on their own, while our enemies are well-organized, cross-border syndicates?" said Ahmad.