27 November 2019 — Maputo, Mozambique
Mrs Graca Machel Speech
Good morning!
Let me begin by welcoming you all to my home of Mozambique! A very warm welcome to Maputo, especially to our guests who have come from afar to attend this symposium as well as my colleagues from the International Board of Trustees of the African Child Policy Forum (ACPF). ACPF will be meeting here tomorrow to reflect on the outcome of this symposium and other matters of institutional interest.
I am also delighted that we have with us today two distinguished guests – H.E. Lucas Mangrasse, Vice-Minister of Gender, Children and Social Action, and my very good friend Dr Najat, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Violence against Children. A very warm welcome to you both.
We look forward to benefitting from the wise reflections and action-oriented discussion that will take place today on the important subject of the sexual exploitation of children in Africa.
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But before I go any further, let me draw your attention to an additional reason why we are here today. This event is also intended to serve as the launch of ACPF’s report The Sexual Exploitation of Children in Africa: A Silent Emergency which you now have in your folders. This is the first comprehensive, state-of-the-art report on this topic. I am thrilled to be launching it here with you — right now, right here.
I would like to express my appreciation to the African Child Policy Forum (ACPF) for producing such an outstanding report that is rich with data and analysis. Let us all congratulate and applaud them for this excellent piece of work. I would also like to express our sincere appreciation to the OAK Foundation for supporting this publication. I salute the OAK Foundation for its leadership and commitment to combat the sexual exploitation of children around the world, especially here in Africa, and for their continued support to the work of ACPF.
Sexual violence and the exploitation of children represents our shortcomings as a society in our responsibility to protect our children. All of us— be it as individuals, as families and as communities, governments and the private sector— need to do better in upholding the safety and dignity of children.
- Safety is the number one priority for children. Without safety, children are not able achieve their full potential. And today, we are here because the safety of our children has been greatly undermined by sexual violence and exploitation.
- The numbers are horrifying. Globally, more than half of all children, about one billion of them, experience some form of sexual exploitation.
- Sexual exploitation can befall any child. Most victims are girls, but boys too are victims of sexual abuse. In fact, while we have done little to protect girls, we have done almost nothing to protect boys.
Sexual violence against children is a blatant and extreme violation of the human rights of children. But perhaps even more importantly it has enormous:
- life-time physical
- mental,
- developmental and social consequences on our children.
Additionally, it generates and perpetuates an intergenerational cycle whereby violence begets violence.
We know sexual exploitation happens because of a multitude of factors, but two are especially important: Power and Patriarchy.
- Power and authority. Power and authority confer trust and control. From the teacher of a school to the director, from the policeman to the commander of an army, from the priest to the bishop – these represent authority and are conferred with trust. Unfortunately, it is these same sources and symbols of authority and trust that are – much too often – found to abuse and exploit children in far too many parts of the world. Those in power and authority who are often well-known well and respected by children are sadly the ones that abuse their authority and breach their trust. This is compounded by the fact that, often, we do not have strong systems and mechanisms in place to report and hold the perpetrators to account.
- Sexual exploitation is an aggression driven by long-held and ingrained attitudes and beliefs that objectify girls’ sexuality, and perpetuate and normalize violence. Age-old patriarchal structures and attitudes are at the heart of what we are talking about here today. Our churches, mosques, and synagogues, while they can be a source of peace, justice, and spiritual nourishment, have also become places where women’s and girls’ humanity is belittled and undermined. The danger of living in patriarchal culture is that it not only normalises violence but also silences the voices of girls and women.
Whatever the cause, all forms of violence and exploitation are totally unacceptable. However, I would like to focus on two of the most important frontiers of child sexual exploitation here in Africa – online sexual exploitation, and child sexual exploitation in travel and tourism.
- Online sexual exploitation. A growing concern here is the largely unregulated digital world in Africa. I am deeply concerned that the continent is not prepared for violence in the virtual world. We have very few laws criminalizing online sexual crimes. Many parents, community leaders, policymakers and children are not sufficiently aware of the risks. Of course, we cannot and should not take our children off of the digital platform; it is a useful source of information and one that matters to their lives. However, without well-informed supervision and child-safeguarding measures, the digital space has become and is likely to be increasingly dangerous to our children. We need to know better and act sooner than later.
- Child sexual exploitation in travel and tourism. Without the necessary child-safeguarding measures, the whole array of tourism services – hotels, lodgings, restaurants, cafes and entertainment sites, tour facilities – can expose children to potential harm. No country is immune from a predatory tourism sector. As our continent is increasingly becoming the new frontier for tourists – both local and international – it is equally confronted with the huge challenge of contending with criminals on the move. With the rise in tourism, more children than ever are at risk of being sexually exploited by travelers and tourists. Sadly, national laws and policies to protect children from sexual exploitation in travel and tourism are weak or non-existent. When they exist, responses are inadequate.
While fully aware of the multifaceted nature of child sexual exploitation, I would like to draw your attention to two areas that deserve priority attention:
- The sexual exploitation of boys. Traditionally, boys and men, who are less likely to report violence and exploitation, are considered as perpetrators. This has resulted in the gross neglect of boys as victims. Without the necessary support to boys who have been harmed, violence is cyclical and those who were victims once would likely become perpetrators as adults. In our deliberations today, I am hopeful that we will highlight programmes, experiences and lessons that will help us protect not just girls but also boys from the horrors of sexual violence and exploitation.
- The issue of the most vulnerable children. While all children are vulnerable to sexual violence and exploitation, some children are more vulnerable than others. These are among others:
- children with disabilities
- children living under poverty
- children living on the street, and
- those engaged in domestic work.
These children, in almost all cases, are denied of parental protection, community protection and state protection, hence getting exposed to intersecting and multidimensional exploitation. And because of their conditions and the environment in which they are in, they are often unable to protect themselves or ask for help. So, our laws and policies and our preventative and response programmes should all be made accessible and inclusive of the needs and unique circumstances of the most vulnerable children.
In conclusion, child sexual exploitation is inhumane and it robs children of their innocence. It is a tragedy that is slowly but surely sweeping the entire content. Governments, civil society organisations, teacher’s associations, parents and caregivers — each one of us should spare no effort to creating a more peaceful and less violent world.
I do not pretend I know the solution to this emerging and challenging problem. You are the experts, and that is why we have convened here today. I look forward to us debating and discovering the way forward together. The lives of our most precious assets, our children, depend on it.
I thank you!
The Trust supports and mobilises civil society networks on issues of ending child marriage, ending violence against children, ending female genital mutilation and promoting children’s rights, to carry out advocacy and action across Africa. Special focus is placed on Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia where child marriage continues to be a problem largely driven by poverty, gender inequality, harmful traditional practices, conflict, low levels of literacy, limited opportunities for girls and weak or non-existent protective and preventive legal frameworks.
Education is a fundamental right for all children, which is also a vehicle for social, economic and political transformation in communities, countries and the African continent at large. Recent studies indicate a lack of progress in some of the critical commitments aimed at improving education quality, access, retention and achievement, particularly for girls. In most African countries, girls may face barriers to learning, especially when they reach post-primary levels of education. By implementing multi-dimensional approaches to education which includes core education, personal development, life skills and economic competencies, the Trust partners with funding partners, governments, civil societies and the private sector to improve education access.
The Nutrition and Reproductive, Maternal, New-born, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition, (RMNCAH+N) of the Children’s Rights and Development Programme aims at promoting the Global Strategy for women, children and adolescents’ health within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda. The strategy emphasises on the importance of effective country leadership as a common factor across countries making progress in improving the health of women, children and adolescents.
Through its Early Childhood Development (ECD) plan, The Trust will seek to put into action the new science and evidence Report that was presented by Lancet Series on Good and early development – the right of every child. This will be achieved by mobilising like-minded partners to contribute in the new science and evidence to reach all young children with ECD. The Trust’s goal is to be a catalyst for doing things differently, in particular, to rid fragmentation and lack of coordination across ECD sectors. In response to evidence showing the importance of political will in turning the tide against the current poor access and quality of ECD. Even before conception, starting with a mother’s health and social economic conditions, the early years of a child’s life form a fundamental foundation that determines whether a child will survive and thrive optimally.