“There is a deeper understanding of the
interconnectedness of these crimes,” the UN independent
human rights expert on the sale, sexual exploitation and
sexual abuse of children, Mama Fatima Singhateh, warned on
Monday.
“We are also witnessing stronger
international cooperation, more victim-centred approaches
and deeper involvement from the private sector. However,
despite these achievements, the scale and severity of abuses
against children remain alarming and worrying.”
Far
too many children around the world are still being
trafficked, sexually exploited and abused, Ms. Sinhart
stated in her final report to the Geneva-based UN Human
Rights Council, adding that these crimes are often
hidden, perceived as normal or fail to receive due
attention.
Technology-driven risks on the
rise
The independent expert pointed out that in
recent years, countries have made significant progress in
strengthening their criminal law frameworks to align them
with international standards and hold perpetrators
criminally accountable for child trafficking and sexual
exploitation.
However, the report’s review of the
current situation reveals a rapidly evolving landscape of
child sexual exploitation.
As digital threats
intensify and global crises emerge, the risks to children
are constantly increasing.
Technology-driven sexual
exploitation and abuse are on the rise, while conflict and
climate-related disasters continue to create environments
conducive to child sexual exploitation and abuse and the
expanding extractive industries often exacerbate
children’s vulnerability.
Response
strategies
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The independent expert said these “new
frontiers” require a rethinking of strategies, an updated
and effectively implemented legal framework and investment
in technological solutions capable of addressing those who
attempt to harm children.
She called on countries
to:
- strengthen, harmonise and effectively enforce
legal frameworks criminalising all forms of child
exploitation - invest in digital security and stricter
regulation of technology platforms - enhance
cross-border cooperation - ensure victim-centered
justice - address the root causes
- involve the
private sector as an active partner
She also
called on all those working with or serving children to
ensure that they are placed at the centre of every decision,
policy and intervention.
Prevention
possible
Ms. Sinhart points out that the buying and
selling of children, sexual exploitation, and sexual abuse
are not inevitable; they are preventable.
“These
problems stem from choices political choices, economic
choices, technological choices which is why we have the
ability to choose to uphold and protect children’s rights,
to fill the gaps that make them vulnerable and to build a
world where every child is valued, protected and free from
all forms of exploitation.”
Spotlight on DR Congo:
Rape used as a weapon of war
- The UN Human Rights
Office warned on Monday of the scale of conflict-related
sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of
Congo - The independent expert’s report included
shocking data from 2025, showing that rape is being
systematically used as a weapon of war in the restive
African nation, while a generation of children faces stigma
and exclusion - According to the collected data, 887
conflict-related violence incidents were recorded in 2025,
involving 1,534 victims, the vast majority of whom were
women (854) and girls (672) - Victims in North Kivu
and South Kivu provinces account for nearly 80 per cent of
the total recorded cases, highlighting the ongoing
insecurity in the eastern part of the
country
