Economic exploitation

This section looks at the issue of economic and sexual exploitation of children and young people. This can be considered as one of the problems which occur as the result of responses to the economic problems faced by orphans and other vulnerable children. Another section looks in detail at issues of child labour .

Key points about economic and social exploitation of children and young people are:

1. Many forms of child labour involve the economic exploitation of children and young people. Some people regard all child labour as exploitative.

2. Commercial sexual exploitation of children and young people involves sexual abuse and payment of money to them or a third party.

3. Forms of commercial sexual exploitation include sex tourism involving children, child prostitution, child pornography and trafficking of children for sexual purposes. Early marriage is also considered a form of sexual exploitation.

4. Many factors make children more vulnerable to commercial sexual exploitation. These include poverty, lack of education, low status of women, weak legislation, poor governance, HIV/AIDS, some cultures and traditions, demand for sexual services, the youth of much of the population in developing countries and increasing urbanisation.

Economic Exploitation through Child Labour

Many forms of child labour involve the economic exploitation of children and young people. For example, a study in Zambia revealed that the commonest forms of child labour included quarrying and stone crushing, work on the streets, work in commercial farms and prostitution. Some people regard all child labour as exploitative.

Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and Young People

Commercial sexual exploitation of children and young people involves sexual abuse and payment of money to them or a third party.

Forms of commercial sexual exploitation include:

Sex tourism involving children and young people ? Both international and domestic tourists may be involved in sexual activities with children and young people. The purpose of the tourist trip may be specifically for sex but it often is not.
Child prostitution involves sex with a child or young person for payment. Children of both sexes are vulnerable to exploitation through this practice.
Child pornography involves the representation of sexual acts involving children and young people and includes representation of a child's sexual organs for sexual purposes.
Trafficking of children and young people for sexual purposes may occur within or between countries. Although some child trafficking may appear to have no sexual element, for example where children and young people are trafficked to become domestic workers, many such children and young people are subjected to sexual abuse.

Early marriage is also considered a form of sexual exploitation. It is widely practiced in many societies and mainly affects girls who have reached puberty.

Vulnerability to Commercial Sexual Exploitation

Many factors make children and young people more vulnerable to commercial sexual exploitation. These include:

Poverty - many children and young people are vulnerable to commercial sexual exploitation through efforts to find employment in order to survive in situations of extreme poverty.
Lack of education and low status of women - young women are particularly vulnerable to commercial sexual exploitation, especially those who have not had access to education.
Weak legislation - in many countries, legislation is often weak and contradictory. It may result in the child or young person being blamed rather than being seen as needing support and protection.
Poor governance - corruption, civil disorder and war may result in situations where people in power are involved in commercial sexual exploitation of children and young people, rather than protecting them from it.
HIV/AIDS - there are reports that HIV/AIDS has contributed to commercial sexual exploitation with some adults looking for younger sexual partners as a way of seeking to avoid HIV infection.
Some cultures and traditions may increase the risk of commercial sexual exploitation. Examples include some traditional concepts of masculinity.
Demand for sexual services of children and young people is reported to be increasing in many settings
The youth of much of the population in developing countries - an increasing proportion of people in developing countries are young.
Increasing urbanisation has been identified as a factor in increasing commercial sexual exploitation of children and young people, particularly where that change is driven by economic factors

Responses to Commercial Sexual Exploitation

There are a number of ways of responding to the issue of commercial sexual exploitation of children and young people. These include:

National policies and laws which make various forms of commercial sexual exploitation punishable by law
Measures to improve enforcement of existing laws, such as the introduction of victim-friendly courts
Action through public bodies, such as the police, to protect vulnerable children and young people. Education of police officers is important to achieve this
Activities to raise awareness of the problem among the general population, including teaching about it in schools
Activities to prevent commercial sexual exploitation of vulnerable groups, including peer education, peer-to-peer experience sharing and harm reduction services for vulnerable groups
Activities to improve reporting of commercial sexual exploitation, including helplines and other reporting services
Support for the victims of commercial sexual exploitation including short-term measures, such as legal aid and psychosocial support and longer-term healing, rehabilitation and restoration
Establishing networks to learn from activities in the same country and from other countries