Context analysis: In 2012, The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimated that globally 960,000 children were victim of sexual exploitation. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children states that one million children are coerced, kidnapped, sold and deceived into child prostitution or child pornography each year. Girls account for the majority of identified victims. Boys are equally at risk, but their abuse is often unreported due to shame, stigma and the perception that boys cannot be sexually exploited. There is a lack of reliable data, owing to the often hidden and illicit nature of these extreme forms of violence and exploitation as well as the consequent lack of (registering of) reporting on Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) in most countries. Other reasons include a lack of development of a common methodology for estimating the number of exploited children and universal definitions of what constitutes CSEC. In the case of child pornography, the child may not even be aware of his or her own exploitation, and the crime may go unreported. Other forms of exploitation may go unreported due to sociological factors in the child’s community or family. Research on child prostitution tends to focus on its most visible forms and where information is most easily accessible, such as prostitution in the lower class brothels or the streets and other public areas, such as around bus stations or in parks. This research does not provide an accurate analysis of the nature or the extent of child prostitution. A great deal of the exploitation is clandestine. It occurs through contacts in nightclubs or bars, or through high-end escort services, where the abuse takes place in privately rented apartments and even luxury hotels. Information about this form of exploitation is more difficult to access. Furthermore, since CSEC is an illegal activity, researchers attempting to collect data have been harassed, intimidated or threatened verbally or physically. CSEC is a fundamental violation of children’s rights. It comprises sexual abuse by the adult and remuneration in cash or kind to the child or a third party or parties. The child is treated as a sexual and commercial object. The remuneration factor distinguishes CSEC from child sexual abuse where commercial gain is apparently absent, although sexual exploitation also constitutes abuse. At the same time, it must be noted that there is a clear link between non-commercial child sexual abuse and the increased vulnerability of a sexually abused child to CSEC. CSEC constitutes a form of coercion and violence against children and amounts to forced labour and a contemporary form of slavery. The primary, interrelated forms of CSEC are child prostitution, child pornography and child trafficking for sexual purposes. The Down to Zero (DtZ) Alliance prefers to avoid the term ‘child prostitution’ since the term ‘prostitution’ implies the idea of free and informed choice, while this is not the case when it involves children, and will only use these terms when referring to the legal framework. The primary forms of CSEC are interrelated and can therefore not be addressed in isolation. Children are often victim or at risk of becoming a victim of several forms of CSEC consequently or simultaneously. The same child who is trafficked for sexual purposes, can be a victim of child prostitution, sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism, sexual exploitation of children online or child abuse materials (‘child pornography’). While it is clear that the factors that contribute to the sexual exploitation of children are many and diverse, and may differ depending on the society or country into which the child is born, one causal situation is common to children across the globe: children who are sexually abused by someone in their own family or circle of friends are extremely vulnerable to sexual exploitation, including outside the family or later in life.

Problem statement: The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) is a fundamental violation of children’s rights. It includes child prostitution, child pornography and child trafficking for sexual purposes. Many children lack the knowledge and/or the ability to speak out against or resist these forms of exploitation. Any objections they might have are ignored or not taken seriously by policy makers or the police, and often not even by their own parents. The communities in which these children live are not always safe for them. Their families are often unaware of the risks their children face, and in some cases they even encourage their children to enter child prostitution. Norms and values that tolerate violence against women are widespread and these are conspiring to make the victims feel ashamed. Furthermore, laws and policies are often not implemented or enforced, and this leads to large-scale impunity (the people who are guilty of this exploitation are going unpunished). In addition to all this, the private sector is not always aware of the effects it can have on CSEC and it could be underestimating its responsibility.

Risk analysis: All partners within the DtZ Alliance have measures in place to ensure the quality of their financial and administrative systems to reduce the risk of mismanagement and misuse of funds. Each Alliance member also has an adequate and transparent planning and control cycle, technical and financial reports and demonstrate due attention to budget control. Externally audited financial statements for previous years are available; each Alliance member has separate anti-corruption and sanction policies and procedures in place, incorporated into different documents; and each Alliance member has sanctions included in contracts with local partners. Special attention is paid to identifying risks related to fraud and bribery. Alliance members will use their respective mechanisms, such as child safeguarding, anti-fraud, anti-bribery and anti-corruption policy, its sanction policy for country offices or partners organisations not meeting contractual obligations or misusing funds and its risk management toolkit. The overarching coordination mechanism will ensure that risks can be mitigated effectively so that the programme at large will not be affected. To develop the risk mitigation strategy at the national level and the required capabilities to intervene, the members of the Alliance are engaged in dialogue with governments and local CSOs. Part of the risks have already been mitigated by selecting only trusted partners that have been working in partnership with the Alliance members during various programmes. Financial and programme monitoring has been done regularly and will continue to take place during the strategic partnership. An Alliance PME system has been developed (See 2. Monitoring and Evaluation Plan). Open channels of communication further enhance transparency of the national context and interventions.