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Childhood innocence

Childhood is the commodity and innocence is the attractive packaging in commercial sex trafficking of children, UNICEF South Asia Regional Director Dr. Sadig Rasheed told the media on Wednesday at a press conference in connection with the South Asia Regional Mid-Term Review of "The Yokohama Global Commitment 2001" in Colombo.

Rasheed added: "Despite it being a trade that degrades all who profit from it and who allow it to happen and in spite of all efforts, current trends sadly suggest that its incidence is high and worsening."

He said that close links between organized crime, trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation make accurate statistics, very difficult to obtain.

"The profiteers are able to switch routes and initiate quick changes to stay ahead of law enforcement. Poverty and deprivation have proved to be the recruiters best friend as desperate people move to betray their own children."

Rasheed said it is estimated that 300,000 Bangladeshi women and children have been trafficked to India and 200,000 to Pakistan. Between 100,000 to 200,000 Nepali women are estimated to be working in India’s cities - 30 per cent are said to be girls.

While many of those represented by these daunting figures may end up in other forms of hazardous and harmful labour, a significant proportion of the young ones will be providing sexual services.

Other South Asian countries involved this market are many. There are of boys being traded for sex in Sri Lanka where foreign paedophiles lure beach boys with money.

"The commercial sexual exploitation of children in South Asia on this scale is largely for a wholly indigenous market. It is market to satisfy South Asian men. In Nepal there are reports that a second generation are being put out to provide fresh faces for this trade," he added.

End Child Prostitutions Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT) Executive Director Carmen Madrinan said that recent data from Interpol indicates that there is vast amount of child exploitation.

She said that workers organizations could play key role in this regard.