Good practices supported by UNICEF to prevent & address sexual crimes against children online

1. Good practices supported by UNICEF to prevent & address sexual crimes against children online Conference on Sexual Crimes against Children Online: Law Enforcement & Regional Cooperation Jakarta, 29-30 October 2012 Amalee McCoy Regional Child Protection Specialist UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office

2. Presentation topics • Approach to child sexual abuse and exploitation online • Examples of good practices: robust research, partnerships, & development of skilled human resource capacity • Challenges & ways forward 2

3. Approach to child sexual abuse and exploitation online 3

4. UNICEF is a child-focused organization, mandated by the UN General Assembly to advocate for child rights, help meet their basic needs and expand their opportunities to reach their full potential 60+ years of experience, with a focus on education, health, child protection, HIV/AIDS, & policy advocacy and partnerships Operating in 191 countries (Country Programmes & National Committees); 88% of posts are in the field Committed to ensuring special protection for the most disadvantaged children - victims of war, disasters, extreme poverty, all forms of violence and exploitation and those with disabilities 4

5. East Asia and Pacific WhereWeWork • 13 Country Offices • 1 Sub-regional Office for Pacific Island Countries 5

6. Framework for action • Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) • Op Prot on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography (2000) • CRC General Comment No. 13 on VaC (2011) • Follow up to the recommendations of the UN Study on Violence against Children (2006) • Rio de Janeiro Declaration and Call for Action to Prevent and Stop Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents (2008) • UNICEF Child Protection Strategy (2008) • UNICEF EAP Regional Programme Strategy (2007) 6

7. Typesof child protection concerns EXPLOITATION Child labor, sexual exploitation, armed conflict, child marriage, sale, slavery CHILD ABUSE Sexual, physical, emotional, social exclusion, structural, torture VIOLENCE Interpersonal, group, state, self-directed EMERGENCIES & NATURAL DISASTERS NEGLECT Willful neglect, failure to thrive, lack of means for survival & development, institutional JUSTICE FOR CHILDREN 7

8. Good practices: robust research, partnerships, & development of skilled human resource capacity 8

9. Child sexual abuse prevalence estimates by sub-region and sex Andrews et al., Child sexual abuse, WHO, 2004

10. EAP regional systematic review of research on child maltreatment (2012) • Final report: 364 peer reviewed & grey literature research studies • Objectives • To provide a regional picture of the reliable research which presently exists; and • To inform the conduct of a prevalence and attributable fractions review that will estimate the burden and consequences of child maltreatment in the region. • Methodology • Inclusion criteria: Primary research on CM prevalence, incidence, consequences in 28 EAP countries, published 2000-2010, peer reviewed & non peer reviewed, English or any languages of the EAP region • Limitations • Not all grey literature included • Lack of a CM specific quality assessment tool • Lack of dual quality assessment ratings 10

11. Range in prevalence of different forms of child maltreatment in the EAP region Prevalence (%) UNICEF EAPRO (2012). Child Maltreatment: Prevalence, Incidence and Consequences in East Asia and Pacific. Bangkok, UNICEF. 11

12. Identified consequences of child maltreatment in the region 12

13. Evidence that child victims of sexual abuse are more likely to experience serious adverse outcomes 2010 study In Manila, Philippines: Adults with history of child sexual abuse = 5x increased risk of attempted suicide Child victims of sexual or physical abuse = 4x increased risk of suicidal thoughts & attempts 2005 study of 7th and 8th grade students in The Republic of Korea: Females who are both victims and perpetrators of bullying Nearly 2x more likely to have attempt suicide or other self-harm Child victims of sexual abuse = 3x more likely to experience intimate partner violence as an adult 13

14. Objectives of the UNICEF-CDC supported national baseline surveys on violence against children (VAC) • To describe the magnitude and nature of violence against children within countries • Physical violence • Emotional violence • Sexual violence: non-contact, contact (touching, attempted sex, pressured sex, physically forced sex), exploitation • To assess the health consequences • To identify underlying risks and protective factors • To assess the utilization of services for victims of violence • To inform policy, strategies and programmes to prevent and respond to violence against children 14

15. 8 countries in EAP (3 in process, 5 in initial planning stages) • 5 countries in Africa (3 completed, 2 in process) • 1 country in Latin America (1 completed, report awaited) UNICEF-CDC VAC survey countries China Laos Viet Nam Haiti Philippines Cambodia Kenya Malaysia PNG Tanzania Indonesia Malawi Zimbabwe Swaziland 15

16. Examples of UNICEF’s work to protect children from violence, including sexual abuse and exploitation • Tertiary response • Philippines: Training for judiciary and law enforcement on handling cases of child sexual abuse • Indonesia: Development of regulations under the National Plan of Action on Prevention & Response to VAC Partner with Govt • Tertiary prevention • Thailand: Individual assessments and services for particularly vulnerable migrant children • Lao PDR: Skills development for members of Village Mediation Units for cases involving children Partner with Govt, NGOs & community organizations • Secondary prevention • Cambodia: Targeted social services for children and families affected by HIV/AIDS • Primary prevention • Myanmar: Awareness raising activities on child protection for communities Legal and policy framework Legal & policy framework • Legal and policy framework • China and Viet Nam: Bilateral MOU on anti-human trafficking • Malaysia: Development of the Social Work Act and accompanying Action Plan for implementation 16

17. Philippines: Legislative developments & private sector partnerships • 2009 Anti-Child Pornography Act (RA 9775) • Support for passage of the Act and its Implementing Rules & Regulations (IRR) • Capacity building of the national police, prosecutors, public attorneys and other court personnel on how to investigate and prosecute sexual crimes against children, using child-friendly and gender-responsive procedures • Created the Inter-Agency Council against Child Pornography (IACCP), chaired by the Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, with 11 members from government agencies and 3 from civil society sector • IACCP 2011-2013 Strategic Plan of Action for implementation of RA 9775 • Make IT Safe Campaign • In 2006, ECPAT and UNICEF supported 75 young people to advocate for a safe online environment for children and young people • Everything Online (EOL), which supported ‘make IT safe’, adopted a code of conduct and posted online safety reminders in their Internet shops. • 2008 conference with government officials from public information and mass media, Centre for Transnational Crimes, National Bureau of Investigation, private sector, civil society, and children and young people. Solutions for addressing safety problems at cyber cafes developed, e.g. pornography site blockers, posted rules prohibiting the surfing of pornography sites, guidance on how to communicate effectively with troublesome customers. A key outcome was the development of a Code of Conduct for Internet cafe operators and owners in the Philippines. 17

18. Insecure parent-child attachment • Family breakdown • Intimate partner abuse • Social isolation • Breakdown in support in child rearing from extended family • Mental health problems • Physical or cognitive impairments • Tolerance of violence • Gender and social inequality in the community • Lack of services to support families • Lack of access to pre- and ante-natal care • High unemployment • Concentration of poverty • Easy availability of alcohol Underlying risk factors • Parent maltreated as child • Parent misuses drugs or alcohol • Parent is socially isolated • Child was unwanted as a baby • Child shows symptoms of mental ill-health • Unrealistic expectations of the child • Relation • ships • Societal • Community • Individual • Weak CP legislation & enforcement • Social/cultural norms that promote/condone violence, inclu physical punishment • Social/cultural norms that diminish status of child in parent-child relationships • Social/cultural norms that perceive domestic sphere as outside state remit • Socio-economic inequality 18

19. Support for the professionalization of social work to improve care & support for children & families • China: National Plan on Development of Social Work for Children (2011-2015) – creation of 600,000 social work posts and establishment of community based social welfare service centres • Lao PDR: 1st short term course on Social Work at the National University of Laos • Cambodia: Support for creation of a Faculty of Social Work, Royal University of Phnom Penh • Indonesia: Development of an in-service training programme in the short term for SW • Myanmar: Development of Post Graduate Diploma in Social Work at Yangon University • Viet Nam: Support for the development of a National Programme on the Development of Social Work as a Profession (2010-2020), including the creation of 65,000 social worker posts as part of the civil service • Malaysia: Support for the development of National Social Work Practice Competencies and a Social Work Act 19

20. Challenges & ways forward 20

21. Some challenges & ways forward 21

22. Where to access relevant 2012 publications: www.unicef-irc.org/publications/652 www.unicef.org/eapro/Child_Maltreatment.pdf 22

23. THANK YOU Email: amccoy@unicef.org www.unicef.org/eapro