EUROPE/GERMANY - PROMOTING PENAL ACTION AGAINST CHILD ABUSE IN SEX TOURISM: SYMPOSIUM PROMOTED BY MISSIO ON OBSTACLES AND POSSIBILITIES

Monday, 12 January 2004

Aachen (Fides Service) “Bringing Paedophiles to Court ” is the theme of a Symposium promoted by the National Office of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Germany missio Aachen scheduled for 14 and 15 January in Berlin in cooperation with the German branch of ECPAT End Child Prostitution, Pornography, and Trafficking.
Participants will include experts from various German ministries Justice, Home Affairs, Public Prosecutors, lawyers and judges as well as members of the police force and human rights groups from countries which are the main destinations for sex holidays. The aim of the Symposium is to examine the ways and obstacles of taking court action against offenders in this field.
“No other crime has such a high percent of impunity as the crime of exploiting children for sex tourism”, said Christa Nickels, spokesperson for the human rights office of Germany’s Green Parliament group which is sponsoring the event. “The percentage of penal action against offenders in this field in Germany is less than 1%. In fact the Symposium will be a good opportunity to denounced almost total impunity for this form of human rights violation.”
“In many cases offenders simply pay bail to avoid trial and leave the country”, said Mechthild Maurer delegate administrator of ECPAT Germany. This is one of the main obstacles to taking penal action in the case of abuse of children in sex tourism. “Offenders are even known to have been assisted by their respective consulate abroad which supply addresses of lawyers and new travel papers”, affirms Otmar Oehring, head of “missio” human rights sector and co-ordinator of the Symposium.
For many years PMS Germany, “missio Aachen”, has been involved in the fight to eliminate involvement of children in sex tourism and child prostitution. It provides concrete help by funding children’s projects in various countries involved in this trafficking, the Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Kenya and South Africa. The programmes aim to protect children from sexual abuse and free young girls and boys trapped in prostitution as well as offer counselling and assistance to help minors overcome the trauma and begin a new life. (MS) (Fides Service 12/1/2004 – 30 lines, 381 words)


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