Prostitution is seen as performing or agreeing to perform a sexual act for the purpose of money, property, token, object, article or anything of value. Child prostitution is therefore seen in this light, but with a token of difference.
It is the exploitation of a child for remuneration in monetary terms or it could be in kind, usually but not at all times organized by an intermediary such as a procurer, family member, pimp, or madame. Although it is the female children that are mostly vulnerable and widely publicized, male children are equally susceptible to the same dangers in this exploitation.
In many part of the wold, the issue of child prostitution has been a great and growing problem and a frightening reality. The result are tragic, and most often children are placed on this phenomenon by their parents simply to supplement their limited income. Often, child prostitutes, whether occasional or full time, also become involve in crime and drug abuse.
Many of them feel frustrated and worthless, seeing little or no prospects of escaping their wretched lives. The world over some senior and influential personalities recognize the devastating effects of child prostitution and cause a rethink into it through a United Nation arm known as UNICEF to oversee and cause some control measures to this barbaric act on children.
In one of their statement against child prostitution, they stated that, "All forms of sexual exploitation are incompatible with human dignity, and therefore violates fundamental human rights, regardless of the age, gender, race, ethnicity, or class of the victim".
Child prostitution is barbaric and worthless, countries where such a practice is common, tolerated, accepted, and sort after because of the money it brings experience every day the devastation that it causes. Any financial profits it produce is inevitably annulled by the individual family, and social disasters generated by such a practice.
Causes of Child Prostitution.
There is no problem without a cause, and in this light, some of the causes of child prostitution ranges from the under-listed.
* Poverty: The principal cause of prostitution is poverty, parents often feel obligated to sell their children to pimps because of their low salary which does not allow them to meet the need of their family. Poverty has also been the root cause of many factors that promotes prostitution like, homelessness, housing instability, educational and vocational failures from parents on their children, all are hanged to poverty.
Poverty has also been the cause of abandonment, this rejection forces children to leave their homes and family to the street to become vagabonds and street children, vulnerable and in need of money and as such become the major target of operators who promise them work and remuneration.
* Money: Prostitution in it entirety is a very lucrative ventures, when compared to local salaries. In some countries, especially th developing ones, a sexual encounter with a young girl under the age of 16 can cost around twenty euros, depending on the situation when compared to what they earn in a day which is about 4 euros.
* Orphans: Each year wars, natural disasters, and HIV/AIDS epidermic all contributes to the increase in the number of orphans. As vulnerable as they are, these children accepts anything that comes their way and even prostituting becomes their path to survive because the activity is extremely profitable compared to other forms of work.
* Child Trafficking: Numbers of children are kidnapped each year across the world and are hereby integrated into prostitution network against their will.
* The Rise of the Sex Market: Over the years the sex industry has been industrialized and diffused by new method of communication. The rise and normalization of pornography in the media has contributed extensively to the development of prostitution.
Consequences of Child Prostitution
There are several dangers attached to child prostitution which plays a negative role in the life of a child. The well being and mental health of the child will be influenced later in life since they frequently becomes pimps themselves.
* Access to Service: Sexually exploited children are uneducated children, rejected by their relatives and marginalized by the society, they have little or no access to health care facilities and suffer extensively on hygienic conditions, they are touts, drug addicts and vagabonds.
* The Spread of HIV/AIDS: Prostitution promotes HIV/AIDS since several of their clients refuse to have protected sexual encounters with the child and as such cause them vulnerable to many sexually transmitted infections.
* Physical and Psychological Tumors: Physically, there are series of damages that occurred to the child, and this ranges from virginal tearing, torturing, pain, infection and unwanted pregnancy. Whereas in the psychological level the child can also show many symptoms such as depression, personality or sexual orientation confusion, behavioral disorders, (aggressiveness or anger) Insomnia, loss of self confidence, mistrust or hatred toward adult.
The Way Forward.
In the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations has proclaimed that "childhood is entitled to special care and assistance", states the preamble of the convention on rights of the child. Regarding the importance of the family it adds; "The child for the full and harmonious development of his or her personality, should grow up in a family environment, in an atmosphere of peace, happiness, love and understanding". Yet this deal is far from being achieved.
Just talking about a better world for children is not enough. Moral degeneration is rampant and people consider the situation normal. Widespread depravity and greed can not be controlled by law enforcement. Even parents rather than show love and protecting their children, often contributes to the climate of permissiveness. What hope, then, do we have for an end to child prostitution.
Parental Care can Cub the Menace
Children sometimes also lose their first line of protection, their parent. Reasons for separation are many and this force them into alternative care that are always not sufficient for their future. Parental care and guidance is considered number one in the life of children.
Based on words of God from the holy bible, parents must take good care of this gifts from God (children) as they may make them to be fortunate on this earth and hereafter. They may also make their parents to be unfortunate too with great punishment from God. It is a fact that parents are shepherds and shall give account to Almighty God about their children as they cater for them, train and guide them while on earth.
Looking into many families today, most parents encounter serious problems. How many fathers still show love and understanding to their wives and children? and to have a responsible child that can raise the name of their family to greater height by tomorrow. It is my humble appeal that parents should love each other such that this will be replicated in the children for a better future.
Read more:-
No comments:
Post a Comment