Private Sector Roles and Responsibilities to End Sexual Exploitation of Children

This paper provides a summary of the topics covered in the thematic paper on child sexual exploitation, Private Sector Accountability in Combating the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, written by Mark Erik Hecht.This document was written to help children and adolescents understand the role corporations, businesses and the private sector play in ending the sexual exploitation of children. Prepared for the Third World Congress against the Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents in November 2008, in Brazil, the paper explores the following key topics:
• What is the commercial sexual exploitation of children?
• What is the private sector?
• What is corporate social responsibility (CSR)?
• What standards exist and how are they being used?
• What are the challenges and successes?
• What kinds of businesses and companies need to be looked at?.
There are examples of good work being done by companies and businesses, but there are also challenges and efforts that need to be improved and strengthened. This paper will explore some of these successes and challenges, as well as the companies and businesses that have an extra responsibility to help end the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents