Splintered Lives - Barnardo's

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chapter
2 Introduction
Beginning with first person testimony is an attempt to ensure that this document is
informed by the direct experiences of women and children. Evelina, Hilda and Poppy's
accounts provide us with important starting points for several of the themes this
document explores: the interconnectedness of pornography, prostitution and trafficking;
the routes into and out of sexual exploitation; the impacts of it; the gaps in our
understanding, policy and practice; and the historical failure of state and voluntary
agencies to either create meaningful alternatives for children and young people, or
tackle the social conditions which create and maintain sexual exploitation.
This document arose out of the work of the European Forum for Child Welfare,
especially the British group. The UN convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) and
Council of Europe initiatives (including, but by no means limited to recommendation
1065 (1987) and the 16th conference of ministers in Lisbon 1988 which accepted a report
and resolution on preventative and repressive measures) have highlighted sexual
exploitation of children and young people as a critical issue. Whilst considerable
attention, research and action have been evident in developing countries, relatively little
has occurred in Europe which places these issues within the overall framework of
children's rights and child protection.
A first draft was commissioned by Barnardo's to provide a common starting point for a
seminar in London 1 . The revised text draws on papers and discussions on that day and a
subsequent European conference in Brussels 2 ; and looks towards the first World
Congress on sexual exploitation of children to be held in Stockholm in 1996. The
completion of the report has been financially supported by the Environment and Social
Science (ESS) faculty in the University of North London.
The linked objectives of the document are:
�� to summarise what we currently know about the sexual exploitation of children 3 ;
�� to document responses to sexual exploitation in terms of legislation, policy
and practice;
�� to highlight gaps in knowledge and the policy framework;
�� to place all of the above in a children's rights and child protection context;
�� to focus on Britain, whilst taking account of both the European and global
contexts.
To achieve these goals we have read as much of the available literature as possible,
requested information from and/or conducted interviews with a selected number of
interested individuals 4 . Many of the existing documents produced by international
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1
Child Pornography and Sexual Exploitation, 13 March 1995
2
Child Pornography and Sexual Exploitation, 8 – 10 June 1995
3
We use the term 'sexual exploitation' throughout this document to include the production of child pornography, child
prostitution, and trafficking in children for the purpose of sexual access. We recognise that these forms of sexual abuse can be
elements in, or connected to, ongoing abuse by a known adult, or a specific form of abuse experienced by particular
children and young people (see also Section Two: Definitions).