The trafficking of children for purposes of sexual exploitation

countries to ensure that measures are put in place to combat both the sexual exploitation of children
and the trafficking of children for this purpose.
The patterns and trends that emerge from this literature are that
• children are trafficked primarily into domestic and international sex industries
• such children are from poor, rural backgrounds
• parents collude in the trafficking of their children
• children are most often debt-bonded to a trafficker or brothel owner
• children's health particularly with regard to HIV infection is placed at risk.
1.2. South African literature
By contrast, very little has been written in South Africa on the sexual exploitation of children or on
the trafficking of children. Of the reports available, the writings of newspaper and magazine
journalists predominate. As far as could be established, to date only a few studies on child
prostitution or the trafficking of children for this purpose have been published. One study
commissioned by ECPAT was done by two researchers in preparation for the Stockholm
Conference and focused on the issue of sex tourism. Children were not interviewed for this study.
Children in prostitution have been interviewed in a few studies that have focused on issues related
to marginalised children such as children on the street and children in the informal economy. 25
Attempts have however also been made to grapple with the conceptual issues related to the
phenomenon. 26 Reasons have also been sought as to why children are engaged in prostitution. 27
Children, however, were not the primary focus of this research, they were part of the research
sample. The Consultative Conference on the Sexual Exploitation of Children produced a number of
position and research papers on issues related to sexual abuse, sexual exploitation and trafficking of
children. 28 These papers were largely based on the organisational focus of specific government and
non-government agencies. The conference view on what constitutes the sexual exploitation of
children is best summarised in the following definition provided by one of the presenters. "Sexual
exploitation of children comes in the forms of rape, sodomy and any sort of inappropriate sexual
contact, including exposing children to indecent acts, pornography and prostitution." 29 Thus the
conference contributions broadly covered the following with regard to sexual exploitation
• child sexual abuse, in the home and institutional settings, 30
• children in street and hotel brothel prostitution 31
• child labour, including child prostitution, as a form of child abuse 32
• pornography and the trafficking of children 33
• child sexual abuse and domestic violence as primary causes of child prostitution 34
25 See for instance J. O'Connell Davidson and J. Sanchez Taylor: South Africa: Child Prostitution and Sex Tourism
ECPAT International, Thailand, 1996 and W. Schärf, M. Powell, E. Thomas: 'Strollers- Street Children of Cape Town'
in S. Burman and P. Reynolds (eds.) Growing Up In a Divided Society: The Contexts of Childhood in South Africa
(Ravan, Johannesburg, 1986) pp. 262 -287and J. Swart-Kruger and D. Donald: 'Children of the South African Streets in
A. Dawes and D. Donald (eds.): Childhood and Adversity: Psychological Perspectives from South African Research
(David Philip, Cape Town and Johannesburg, 1994) pp. 107-121
26 Schurink et al
27 Schurink et al and L. F. Freed: The Problem of European Prostitution in Johannesburg (Juta, Johannesburg,
1949)
28 Section 3 of the NASEC Conference Report pp 25 - 82 Indicated as pp 32 - 82 in Table of Contents
29 D. Nairne: 'Girl Children at Risk: A Study of Child Sex Workers in Hillbrow, Johannesburg', Footnote 1, p. 105,
NASEC Conference Report
30 See for instance F. Matsaung: ' The Effect of Sexual Exploitation of Children on Education in The Northern Province'
pp 38-41, NASEC Conference Report
31 See for instance: D. Nairne, Ibid pp 98-105, J. Van Niekerk: 'Children and Survival Sex in Kwa-Zulu Natal' pp 26-29,
and V. Veeran: 'Breaking the Silence: Combating the Sexual Exploitation of Street Children' pp 29-33, NASEC
Conference Report
32 See for instance D. Chabalala: 'Responding to the Sexual Exploitation of Children' pp. 113-115, NASEC Conference
Report
33 See Section 3.2 of the NASEC Conference Report
34 Rachel: ' Domestic Violence: How it Contributes to the Sexual Exploitation of Children', p.62 and T. Msezana:'
Sexual Exploitation of Girl Children Growing up on Farms' pp 60-61. Ibid
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