| |
Sexual abuse and trafficking
Two million children in the world are exploited for prostitution. Even more are subjected to other types of sexual abuse and trafficking.
Every day, Children are pressed or forced into sex with adults. Save the Children works to combat sexual abuse, trafficking, child prostitution, child-abuse images and sex tourism.
Pictures of abuse on the web
Since 1998, Save the Children has had an internet hotline where people can denounce so-called child pornography or pictures of sexual abuse of children on the internet. Every month, over 700 reports are dealt with.
Save the Children works alongside the Danish National Police and with hotlines in other countries to stem the flow of child-abuse images on the internet.
Save the Children is affiliated to INHOPE – a worldwide network of civilian hotlines which is funded by the EU's Safer Internet Plus programme.
Child prostitution
The problem of child prostitution is worst in the world’s poorest countries. Save the Children has projects aimed at improving the lot of children who have been subjected to prostitution.
Among the services Save the Children offers are:
- Drop-in centres and safe and protected homes for former victims of child prostitution.
- Psychological counselling, medical attention and legal assistance
- Opportunity to be taught school subjects and traditional crafts.
Trafficking: Children being sold by adults
The trade in human beings – also called trafficking – is a global phenomenon. One estimate holds that about 1.2 million children are put up for sale every year.
Children may be bought for myriad purposes, but often the children are sold into prostitution, exploitation for criminal activity or forced labour. Some children are traded by criminal networks, others by their own – usually poor – families.
Helping children regain normality
For instance, Save the Children helps – in cooperation with local NGOs – Bangladeshi children sold into prostitution in India to return to Bangladesh.
In addition to medical, legal and psychological assistance, they receive an offer of education and support to become reunited with their families.
The prevention of trafficking and child prostitution, getting governments to address the problems more actively, is also at the heart of Save the Children’s work.
|
