被禁止的性行為與性暴力

成人與兒童的性接觸: 兒童賣淫 4

前述的內容已經表達得很清楚，兒童賣淫的根源是貧困。這個根源曾經符合有雛妓的維多利亞時代的英格蘭，那麼，對今天的許多發展中國家也適用。恰恰是貧困迫使一些女孩和男孩作為“性工作者”來供養著他們的雙親及其同胞兄弟姐妹。另有一些貧困女孩和男孩甚至在更加令人絕望的境地討生活：他們作為被遺棄的“盲流孩童”，靠乞討、偷竊和賣淫苟延殘喘。

所以，我們應該清楚地弄明白，儘管由終止兒童賣淫的國家和國際機構做出的努力是值得讚揚的，但是，這些機構做的努力唯有延伸到投入相當的資源和精力消除貧困才能取得成功。組織研討會議、擴展包括青春期在內的關於“兒童”的定義、頒佈更嚴厲的刑罰法律、逮捕和懲罰買性的消費者、關閉妓院等等，僅僅能夠治理這種基本社會病態的非常嚴重的綜合征。如果所有這些善意的努力沒有針對導致貧困的政治和經濟的原因，那都是無的放矢。只要兒童的貧困仍舊存在，只要他們依舊被迫去賣淫，即便是這種蔚為壯觀的“清洗式的戰役”[1]也將無濟於事。

抗擊性剝削和貧困

2001年，這個由聯合國兒童基金會支持的、在日本橫濱召開的大會，曾經明確提出了更為嚴厲的法律和法律措施要求，但是，就消除貧困方面，這次大會仍舊滿足於一般性的要求：“我們歡迎下列的進展——更加強調兒童的權利……，針對兒童的更好的教育途徑，為面對貧困家庭及其兒童的社會支持措施。”（欲知詳情，請點擊圖示。標識文字意思：抗擊對兒童的商業性性剝削第二屆世界大會。）

Fighting sexual exploitation and poverty
This UNICEF-supported congress of 2001 in Yokohama, Japan, was specific in many of its demands for stricter laws and law enforcement, but with regard to poverty it remained content with generalities: “We welcome the following developments - the greater emphasis on the rights of the child---, - better educational access for children, social support measures for families and children to counter poverty”.
  (For details, click on logo.)

[1]. 中國大陸的類似行動叫“掃黃打非”——突擊性質的打擊涉及淫穢的各種印刷品、網站、“賣淫嫖娼”等，叫“掃黃”；“打非”：打擊非法出版物。——譯者注。

Prohibited Sexual Behavior and Sexual Violence

Adult Sexual Contact with Children: Child Prostitution 4

As the preceding sections have made clear, at the root of child prostitution lies poverty. This was true of Victorian England with its child prostitutes, and it is still true today in many developing countries. It is poverty that forces some girls and boys to support their parents and siblings as “sex workers”. Others find themselves in even more desparate circumstances: As abandoned “street children”, they depend on begging, stealing, and prostitution for their very survival.
It should therefore be well understood that the commendable efforts by national and international organizations to end child prostitution can succeed only to the extent that they contribute to eliminating poverty. Organizing congresses, stretching the definition of “childhood” to include adolescence, enacting stricter criminal laws, arresting and punishing customers, closing brothels etc. can do nothing more than treat the symptoms of a much more serious underlying condition. All of these well-meaning efforts miss their real target if they do not address the political and economic causes of poverty. Even the grandest “cleaning-up campaign” will not help the children as long their poverty persists and keeps forcing them into prostitution.