Written Answers. - Human Rights Abuses.
Bernard J. Durkan
Question:
82
Mr. Durkan
asked the
Minister for Foreign Affairs
the extent to which he has raised at EU or UN fora the ever increasing international problem of the abuse of children through pornography on the Internet if he has received support internationally in this regard; if it has been found possible to ban such activities and bring the perpetrators to justice; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[8578/01]
Bernard J. Durkan
Question:
83
Mr. Durkan
asked the
Minister for Foreign Affairs
the extent to which the international community has identified the degree to which women have been sold or traded into slavery throughout the world; if he will mobilise opinion at EU and UN levels to tackle this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[8579/01]
Bernard J. Durkan
Question:
84
Mr. Durkan
asked the
Minister for Foreign Affairs
the number of children alleged to have been sold into slavery throughout the world; if he proposes to take any initiatives through the UN or EU to combat the situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[8580/01]
Bernard J. Durkan
Question:
85
Mr. Durkan
asked the
Minister for Foreign Affairs
the extent to which the international community has focused on the need to take measures to bring about an early cessation to all forms of slavery with particular reference to the international trade in human beings; the result of his efforts at EU and UN level in this regard; if the EU has taken measures arising from the Amsterdam Treaty to combat the situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[8581/01]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 82 to 85, inclusive, together.
The Government is committed to the active promotion of full observance of universal human rights standards, including opposing and seeking the elimination of all contemporary forms of slavery. Contemporary forms of slavery include practices such as the sale of children, child prostitution, child pornography, the exploitation of child labour, the sexual mutilation of female children, the use of children in armed conflicts, debt bondage and trafficking in persons. I have welcomed Trócaire's current Lenten campaign to highlight the issue of contemporary forms of slavery.
Slavery and human rights issues in general are normally considered by the UN bodies which have a specific role and expertise in this area, notably the Commission on Human Rights, which is currently in session in Geneva and the International Labour Organisation. The ILO will consider the issue of bonded labour at its annual conference in June 2001. In addition, the working group on contemporary forms of slavery, an intersessional working group of the sub-commission on the promotion and protection of human rights, is the UN body which has responsibility for the study of all aspects of slavery.
Trafficking in human beings, where many of the victims are women and children, is a serious and growing problem. The EU in recent years has developed a comprehensive policy to fight against trafficking in human beings and in particular in women and children for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Since May 1999, EU activities to combat trafficking in human beings have been based on the Treaty of Amsterdam. The conclusions from the European Council in Tampere in October 1999 also give clear priority to the fight against trafficking in human beings. The European Commission has proposed a new Council framework decision concerning trafficking in persons which is currently being discussed by Ireland and our EU partners. A number of other measures have been taken at EU level which deal, to varying degrees, with the issue of trafficking in human beings.
The sale of children continues to be of particular concern. Children are being sold for a variety of reasons, including for sexual exploitation, illegal adoption and for use as labour. Anti-slavery international estimates that there are at least 26 million slaves in the world today, a significant proportion of whom are children. The Convention on the Rights of the Child affirms the special protection and promotion the international community wishes to give to the children and his and her their rights. An important recent development was the adoption by the General Assembly in May 2000 of the optional protocol to the convention on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, which imposes substantive general obligations on state parties to adopt all measures necessary to prevent child prostitution, child pornography, abduction, sale and traffic of children and all other forms of exploi tation prejudicial to a child. Ireland signed the optional protocol in September 2000.
There has been strong acceptance world-wide that the problems of child pornography on the Internet require close international co-operation. Such co-operation is ongoing and a variety of legal and structural measures to combat this evil are emerging, particularly at EU level. These include legal instruments for harmonising national laws on child pornography and funding support for practical initiatives such as national public hotlines and awareness measures.
The Deputy may be aware that a public hotline for reporting child pornography was established in Ireland in 1999 and that my colleague, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, established a non-statutory Internet advisory board to supervise the hotline and to monitor overall developments in the area of the illegal and harmful use of the Internet. The board is actively involved in ensuring that all possible measures are being taken to combat child pornography from an Irish perspective.
On the question of banning child pornography, the technical and legal difficulties of detection and enforcement continue to challenge law enforcement agencies world-wide. Ireland is no exception but we are particularly fortunate to have modern legislation in the form of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act, 1998, which gives the Garda an effective tool, at least within our jurisdiction, to bring the perpetrators of such dreadful crimes to justice.
The persistence of contemporary forms of slavery – a most fundamental abuse of human rights – presents a challenge to all Governments. Highlighting and addressing this issue, and, in particular, the trafficking of women and children, continues to be a priority for the Government. The Department welcomes applications from organisations which believe they may qualify for consideration under the criteria governing the fund. All applications are considered by an interdepartmental advisory committee on the basis of eligibility criteria which are available to applicants and the advisory committee then makes its recommendations to me.
