Foreword
Por Directora de la Conjunta Directiva of ECPAT

Many promises were made in Stockholm, five years ago at the first World Congress against the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC). For ECPAT, that Congress was the culmination of 6 years of campaigning and a milestone in our history. The air is filled with promise again, as ECPAT groups around the world prepare for a second World Congress to be held in Yokohama in December, hosted by the Government of Japan, and the six preparatory meetings that will seek to identify regional priorities, and design regional plans of action.

The Yokohama Congress will take stock of what has been achieved in combating the sexual exploitation of children, point out what still needs to be done and plan for the future. The logo for the Yokohama Congress will be the same as the one chosen for the first Congress. Many of you will remember that dramatic hand stretching out across the page, signifying the power of sex abusers, and offering protection to children in one gesture.

In using ‘hands’ to illustrate this year’s report, we want to draw attention to the importance of working in partnership. Partnership, as in the Government – UNICEF – NGO one, first created for the Stockholm Congress in 1996 that has been taken up again for the Second World Congress. Partnership, as represented by ECPAT’s own network that has increased from a small number of groups in Asia and Europe to more than 50 all over the world. And the ever-expanding partnership of our numerous colleagues working in as many different ways around the world.

ECPAT continues to keep its promise to combat the sexual exploitation of children as you will see from this year’s report. Our main activity continues to be monitoring how the Stockholm Agenda for Action is being implemented; however, this year there has been considerable progress too in other fields of activity including capacity building of NGOs, reaching out to the regions through our Regional Officers, and specialised international projects.

ECPAT International is now recognised worldwide as an organisation with extensive information on the commercial sexual exploitation of children and considerable expertise on how to combat it. We have reason to be satisfied, but not complacent. Many challenges lie ahead: the UN Special Session and the Second World Congress are but two. We are calling on governments and all parts of society – young people, civic and religious leaders, government agencies, NGOs and private enterprise – to reaffirm their determination to eliminate the sexual exploitation of children, to recommit to the Stockholm Agenda for Action, and to reinforce efforts against the sexual exploitation of children. The words used are those of international diplomacy. Behind them lies the stark necessity to act now to secure a happy, protected and productive childhood for children everywhere. This is what ECPAT has set out to do. I hope this year’s annual report will inform, inspire and incite you to even greater efforts to make that happen.

The challenges have never been clearer nor more pressing, the responses never more obvious or accessible, and the need to join hands never so necessary.

Josephine de Linde