Malmström admits 'more needs to be done' to tackle child sex trade

EU commissioner Cecilia Malmström has admitted that "more needs to be done" to stamp out sexual exploitation of children.

The official, who is responsible for home affairs, described the offence as "the most horrible crime imaginable".

The former MEP was speaking at a Brussels event to highlight the problem of trafficking of children for sexual purposes.

She was handed a petition, signed by 2.3 million people, which asks the EU to press member states to implement the directive on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings.

The petition, organised by the Body Shop and the campaign group, End Child Prostitution and Trafficking (ECPAT), is said to be the largest ever on human rights.

Speaking outside the commission's Berlaymont HQ, Malmström said that the EU had "stepped up its efforts" to address the issue, adding, "This is now something that all member states take seriously, something that has changed in recent years.

"We all have a duty to do something about child prostitution and sexual exploitation of children.

"That is why the EU produced the directive on trafficking which, among other things, aims to deal with new forms of prostitution. This is one of the most horrible crimes imaginable but one which, unfortunately, is growing with increased demand.

"One of my main priorities is to do take action to combat this and I am touched by the turnout today and the size of this petition."

However, Malmström added, "However, I have to admit that nothing will change until there is also a change in attitude towards this particular crime."

A report by ECPAT said the problem was a "worldwide phenomenon, affecting millions".

It said, "Our findings challenge the perception that child sex trade is a phenomenon confined to developing areas of the world and reveals that children are trafficked for sexual exploitation in virtually all countries of the world."

Malmström's comments come after US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said on Monday that modern-day slavery, from abuses of migrant workers to organised prostitution networks, continues to flourish in the Democratic Republic of Congo, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Estonia.

She said there was little effort by the countries' governments to combat it.
Clinton said the number of countries failing to comply with international standards to prevent human trafficking nearly doubled to 23.

As many as 27 million men, women, and children were "living in a state of modern slavery," Clinton said.

"The problem of modern trafficking may be entrenched, and it may seem like there is no end in sight."

However, she said, since many countries had adopted anti-trafficking laws, the issue was increasingly one of enforcement.

"If we act on the laws that have been passed and the commitments that have been made, it is solvable," Clinton said.