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Endnotes1 Mark Erik Hecht is an academic, a lawyer and a human rights advocate. Professor Hecht’s primary researchinterest is international child law, specifically the role and involvement of the private sector in the commercialsexual exploitation of children. Professor Hecht sits on the Canadian government’s Committee against theCommercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and Youth and the Patron Board of the Alliance for the Rightsof Children. He is the national coordinator for CINCYR. The Canadian Information Network on Child andYouth Rights, based in Ottawa and Senior Legal Counsel to Beyond Borders: Ensuring Global Justice forChildren based in Winnipeg. From 1999-2005, he was a member of the Executive Committee of ECPATInternational.2Although limited research has been conducted on the topic of the private sector’s involvement in CSEC, thatwhich has been produced concludes that the private sector is certainly involved in the activity. For a reviewgenerated by the United Nations see: UN Commission on Human Rights. Report of the Special Rapporteur onthe Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography (E/CN.4/2001/78). 2001; and UNICEF. Profitingfrom Abuse: An investigation into the sexual exploitation of our children. New York: 2001. For a cursory investigationfrom the non-governmental sector see UNICEF. The Role and Involvement of the Private Sector: A contributionof ECPAT International to the 2nd World Congress Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children. New York:2001. Many industries have gone on record as acknowledging the use of their products or services in CSECrelatedactivities. For example, see International Hotel & Restaurant Association. Resolution adopted by 34thCongress. Mexico City: 30 Oct., 1996 that states, “The IH & RA and its member associations … recognize that,unfortunately, some child sex abusers may attempt to use our hotels as the location where they commit theircrimes;” and Microsoft. Report on On-Line Safety and Security, which states: “Microsoft cooperates with lawenforcement authorities around the world to help combat the distribution of illegal content using our onlineservices. We do not knowingly tolerate anyone using our services to endanger children in any way.” Accessedon 14 Oct. 2008 from: http://microsoft.ninemsn.com.au/protectyourkids.aspx. More examples will be providedthroughout this report.3First World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children. Declaration and Agenda for Action.Stockholm. 27-31 Aug., 1996. Article 5.4Ibid. Articles 1-6.5ECPAT International. “How Many Children are Victims?” Frequently Asked Questions about CSEC. Note alsothat UNICEF does not keep statistics on victims or survivors of commercial sexual exploitation of children; itsclosest variable would be child labour data.6For example, UNICEF has consistently stated that an estimated two million children – mainly girls but asignificant number of boys – are believed to be part of the multi-billion dollar commercial sex trade. However,UNICEF has not published its definition of “commercial sex trade”. Presumably it is consistent with theOptional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, but this is narrower than the ECPAT Internationaldefinition, which is broader than Interpol’s definition.7For example, a child who has been sexually exploited by a family member at home may not know that thefamily member had videotaped the violation and traded it on the Internet. Some cases have been reportedto Interpol where children have been drugged and the images of the abuse were taken while the child sleptunknowingly. See: Interpol. Report of the 20th Meeting of the Interpol Specialist Group on Crimes against Children.Thun, Switzerland; 22-24 Oct., 2002.8See: ECPAT. Report on the ECPAT Regional Consultation on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children inNorth Africa. Rabat, Morocco: 12-13 June, 2003. The Executive Summary, by Dr. Najat M’jid, explains thatCSEC in the region is still poorly understood because, “it is taboo is many countries; there are too manydifferent definitions and concepts; sexual exploitation of children is treated as ‘violence and trauma’ and nationalstudies based on strict methodology and harmonised standards are lacking”.9The International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect provides data on the “gross108|Private Sector Accountability in Combating the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children