Brasília, May 18, 2004 (Agência Brasil) - Along the highways, between one city and another, young people are sexually exploited. A study showed that between January and March, 2004, 33.4% of all the incidents reported by the Federal Highway Police (PRF) involving children and adolescents on the highways had sexual connotations.

The study, which was done by PRF inspector Junie Penna, points out that one of the big difficulties in combatting sexual violence is the acquiescence of society, which does not regard certain behaviors as illegal, immoral, or criminal. "We are unable to act, unless organized civil society gets effectively involved, unless society raises demands for government policies, and, clearly, to do this, it must realize the magnitude of the problem," he affirmed. Another difficulty he discovered is arresting those who practice exploitation, because the crime is hard to characterize.

RESEARCH

A 2001/2002 study coordinated by the Center of Reference, Studies, and Actions for Children and Adolescents (Cecria) identified 241 overland, sea, and air routes for sexual exploitation in Brazil. 131 of them are international routes. Inside the country, exploitation networks were confirmed to be active in all regions of the country, but the largest concentration of cases is in the North and Northeast.

Most of the victims of trafficking are women and adolescents between 15 and 25 - the group most affected includes girls between 15 and 17. The profile of the victims shows that they generally come from families with low levels of income and schooling, reside on the outskirts of urban areas, live with relatives, and, in many instances, have already suffered some kind of sexual violence at home.

A Manifesto against Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children and Youth will be handed to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva today. The document is signed by 65 thousand transportation sector professionals and owners who pledge to combat this crime.

The coordinator of the Social Service of Transportation and the National Apprenticeship Service of Transportation (Seste/Senat), Norma Avelar, calls for the "use of the power of this sector to combat the sexual exploitation of children and youth."

Translator: David Silberstein