On Friday (11/28), the World Congress III against the Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents was closed with the presentation of the “Rio de Janeiro Declaration and Plan of Action”, which formulates a pact about integrated and systemic actions aiming to fight against sexual violence imposed to this population segment worldwide.

During the week, at Riocentro, the Congress gathered government representatives from 137 countries, international and non-governmental organizations, the private sector and around 300 adolescents from 96 countries. Queen Silvia, from Sweden – the country which hosted the first congress, in 1996 – also took part in the event.

Call on Legislatures
The plan of action outlined in the document calls on Legislatures to introduce laws that criminalize the purchase or any other way of remuneration of sex involving children or adolescents. The congresspeople are also called to “define, prohibit and criminalize” all acts of child and adolescent exploitation, and to “establish legal mechanisms, of national, regional and international scope, in addition to programs, to address the behavior of sexual offenders and to prevent their recidivism.”

Parliamentary interchange
The coordinator of the Parliamentary Front for Defense of Children’s and Adolescents' Rights, Deputy Maria do Rosário (PT-RS), who chaired one of the round tables during the world congress, confirmed the need for a more intense interchange among congresspeople worldwide and for the harmonization of legislation, to perfect the fight against new scenarios of violation of children’s rights.

“The legislations of each country should follow the guidelines of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the parliaments, in a joint action, should speed procedures for children’s cross-border protection. They should also consider human trafficking, which is a sad reality, and internet standards, which have been throwing children’s images online. The globalization requires from parliaments a joint action for the protection of human rights of children”, affirmed the deputy.

Harsher laws against pedophilia and children’s pornography
According to a representative of the Special Secretary for Human Rights, Carmen Oliveira, one of the arrangers of the world congress, the event also will be marked, in Brazil, by the approval of the law that increases the penalties for pedophilia and children’s pornography crimes, including the ones committed online.

The new legal tool comes from the Bill 3773/08, of CPI (Parliamentary Inquiry Committee) on Pedophilia of the Senate, and was approved by the Chamber of Deputies in the beginning of November. For Carmen, “the law modernizes the Children’s and Adolescents´ Act and increases the efficacy of police’s work at the repression of children’s and adolescents´ sexual exploitation”.

Recommendations
The "Rio Declaration" recommends that all nations, in an integrated way, adopt legal rules, public policies, regulations and quality services in the areas of health, education, social service, safety and justice, aiming to change the current scenario, marked by different forms of sexual exploitation of children and adolescents.

The document also asks for a greater attention of public power and of all society to stop the use of internet for sexual exploitation of people younger than 18 years old.

According to the final document of the world congress, the governments should increase their support and contribution to Interpol child-abuse image database and handle crimes related to children and adolescents inside a special area of the Judiciary.

The private sector, especially the industries related to tourism, finances, internet and advertising, will be encouraged to adopt codes of conduct inhibiting the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents.

Data bank
The “Rio Declaration” suggests the development of national data banks at the latest by 2009 and the establishment of regional information-exchange mechanisms by 2013, to enhance the statistic data about sexual violence. The national systems for follow-up and monitoring on cases of children’s and adolescents’ sexual exploitation also should be fully effective within five years.

Sexual education
Carmen Oliveira said that Brazil will also adopt sexual education in schools by 2009. “We are a hypocritical society, because we are very concerned about sexual exploitation and about teenage pregnancy, but the subject “sexual education” cannot be addressed in schools. Thus, I think it is time to do away with this hypocrisy, so that we have the due protection for our children and adolescents”, she pondered.

Organization
The World Congress III against the Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents was promoted by the Brazilian government, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the International Articulation against Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT) and NGO Group, which reunites worldwide NGOs related to children’s and adolescents´ causes.