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Since the First and Second World Congresses against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC), new methods for holding the private sector accountable for violations of children's rights in the context of sexual exploitation have emerged. Internal and external corporate social responsibility (CSR) tools have increased in popularity, in turn placing greater pressure upon intergovernmental organisations, international agencies and world states to acknowledge the abuses and develop regimes towards ensuring prevention, protection and punitive consequences for multinational corporations (MNCs) that harm children. Although there are many best practice examples in the literature, global standards and norms (often referred to as international "soft” law) have been criticised as being ineffective due to their voluntary and self-policing nature. A new trend has been noted: attempting to hold the private sector accountable by treating alleged violations of international "hard” law as actionable, in the same way that human rights violations committed by a state are actionable in some domestic courts of law.
A contribution to the World Congress III against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 26-28 november 2008 |
