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INTRODUCTION to the magazine
FACING EXPLOITATION


Rita Ippolito, Partners of the Americas/POMMAR
Nena Klin, USAID
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The "POMMAR Series" represents a momentum in the system of work developed by POMMAR. It is intended to contribute to improving the outcome of social policy measures, providing relevant information about the projects described therein so that they may be used as the focal point for a methodological orientation. Our approach is to offer comparative references, the most important aspects of which are the methods of each project and their practices, and the ways in which these can offer a basis for producing concrete results.

This first issue is dedicated to initiatives and actions developed by governmental and private organizations which fight against sexual abuse and exploitation of children and adolescents in Recife, Salvador, e Fortaleza, the geographical target areas of POMMAR.

The seminar "Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children and Adolescents in the Northeastern Cities" (Salvador, 1995), organized and coordinated by POMMAR, CEDECA and UNICEF, was a first step towards creation of a work system of combating sexual exploitation of children and adolescents. Among other objectives, this seminar worked towards building a general consensus revolving around concepts and trends dealing with the various components of the exploitation process.

The conclusions of the seminar point to a need to contextualize the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents by considering key factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, and social class, thereby clearly defining the situation and identifying the different forms of sexual exploitation-be they psychological, emotional, material, or financial. Debates and workshops have also played an important role in identifying other factors which may lead to exploitation, including familiar sexual abuse, economic survival, pressure put upon by others, and labor exploitation.

The need to emphasize adolescent women as a "strategic category" was also stressed. In a society dominated by men, conditions are created for these young women to be stigmatized as sexual objects. This scenario favors impunity towards the sexual violator because this social acceptance of female stigmatization masks the culpability of a number of exploiters.

Analyses of trends in addressing the problem point to four strategic directions and establish the priorities in each area:

  1. Promotion of Rights:
    • Building a project educating people in citizenship which would aid the populace in confronting inefficiencies of the legislative and judicial systems.
    • Legal reform and revision of current prevailing jurisprudence which has led to lenient sanctions with discriminatory elements;
  2. Communication and Information:
    • Building public opinion through an information and communication strategy capable of stimulating citizen-based interventions and strengthening information exchange as well as supporting direct assistance.
  3. Education and Assistance:
    • Educational intervention that addresses psychological trauma, self-esteem, identity crises, sexuality, and problems with inadequate schooling. These activities should extend to vocational orientation and to the training of educators.
  4. Family and Community Support:
    • Emphasis on preventive work, establishment of family support centers, and creation of alternatives for generating income.

International donor organizations participating in the seminar identified coordination as a critical issue. Broad knowledge on the part of partners about funding mechanisms, institutional objective and priorities, and the volume of available resources are seen as key factors for building partnerships and designing strategies.

The Salvador seminar mobilized Northeastern NGOs, public organizations, and international cooperation and from that time on, coordination, information-sharing, and diagnosis have become top priorities. Hence, primary focus shall be centered upon promoting and supporting the following:

In analyzing the problem, statistics which are currently available and disseminated are not yet reliable.

Although the problem may be somewhat better delineated by referring to qualitative surveys, it is worth stressing the importance of collecting quantitative data for use as both a work tool and an orientation mechanism. Furthermore, it is critical that this data be transmitted to society without having been distorted by ambiguities or sensationalism-only in this way will such information assist in developing realistic programs and services.

This publication, the product of a program which ranges in support from coalitions between public, private and international entities to individual projects, seminars, and the works of capable professionals from various fields of interest, stems also from the positive results achieved by the Forum de Troca de Experiências (Experience Exchange Forum) held in Brasilia as part of the recent Seminar on Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents in the Americas, organized and coordinated by CECRIA (Brasilia, 1996). This forum was a first step toward disseminating information regarding projects in prevention, direct assistance, promotion of rights, and social mobilization in addressing the problem of sexual exploitation of minors.

The release of this publication, lending continuity to the process of aforementioned efforts, is intended to act as a means of stripping away the private character of research and divulging its work methodologies. Bringing to light the results of our study as well as exchanging our encounters with its difficulties are instrumental measures in formulating the necessary methods of evaluating this project, thus ultimately propelling the advance towards our main objective of influencing public policy.


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