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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BRASILIA 000079 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM PHUM PGOV PREL ELAB BR
SUBJECT: World Congress III Against Sexual Exploitation of Children, 
Rio de Janeiro 
 
Ref: 08 Brasilia 01608 
 
¶1. SUMMARY:  The Government of Brazil underscored its commitment to 
tackling complex social issues by hosting the World Congress III 
against Sexual Exploitation of Children.  The Congress gathered more 
than 3,500 delegates from over 170 countries to discuss, among other 
issues, new forms of sexual exploitation, legal frameworks, 
corporate initiatives, and strategies for international cooperation. 
The USG delegation played a key role in the drafting of the final 
version of the Rio Declaration (Outcome Document) that was released 
at the end of the Congress pledging participants "to undertake as a 
matter of priority the necessary measures to prevent and stop the 
sexual exploitation of children and adolescents."   END SUMMARY 
 
 
¶2. The World Congress III Against the Sexual Exploitation of 
Children and Adolescents was hosted by the Government of Brazil in 
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 25-28.  It was convened by UNICEF, 
the NGO End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography, and Trafficking 
of Children for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT), and the NGO Group on the 
Convention on the Rights of the Child.  The purpose of the Congress 
was to review developments and actions taken in follow-up to the 
Stockholm Declaration and Agenda for Action 1996 (World Congress I) 
and the Yokohoma Global Commitment 2001 (World Congress II), and to 
identify lessons learned and key challenges and commit to a Plan of 
Action to prevent, prohibit, and stop the sexual exploitation of 
children and adolescents. 
 
¶3. At the opening ceremony on November 25, President Luiz Inacio 
Lula da Silva was joined on stage by First Lady Marisa Lula da 
Silva(the official host of the conference), Queen Silvia of Sweden, 
various Brazilian cabinet members, and several other dignitaries as 
he welcomed some 3,500 delegates from approximately 170 countries 
around the world to the Congress. To underscore Brazil's commitment 
to fighting the sexual exploitation of children, President Lula 
pulled out his pen and in front of the assembled delegates and press 
signed into law a bill that made possession of child pornography a 
felony - the first time it has been criminalized in Brazil (reftel). 
 
 
¶4. The 21-person United States Government (USG) delegation was led 
by Department of Justice Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the 
Criminal Division Sigal Mandelker and included representatives from 
the Departments of State, Justice (DOJ), Homeland Security (DHS), 
Health and Human Services (HHS), the U.S. Agency for International 
Development (USAID), the U.S. Congress, and the U.S. Embassy in 
Brazil.  In between plenary panel sessions on Forms of Sexual 
Exploitation and Its New Scenarios, Legal Framework and 
Accountability, Integrated Cross-Sector Policies, Initiatives of 
Corporate Social Responsibility, and Strategies for International 
Cooperation, USG delegates attended a series of over 80 small group 
workshops keyed to those major five themes and covering every aspect 
of child sexual exploitation.  Literature, brochures, and other 
materials on the sexual exploitation of children and what individual 
USG agencies are doing to fight it were distributed from a USG 
information booth throughout the conference. 
 
¶5. Delegation head Mandelker's remarks on child pornography and the 
importance of changing the way the public refers to the issue - i.e. 
it is really visual images and evidence of sexual assault on 
children - were well-received, as were those of Trial Attorney 
Alexandra Gelber, from DOJ's Child Exploitation and Obscenity 
Division, on the Council of Europe's Convention on the Protection of 
Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse.  Assistant 
Attorney General Jeffrey Sedgwick from the Office of Justice 
Programs gave a strong and detailed presentation on capacity 
building for law enforcement on child sexual exploitation cases. 
Besides providing a structured forum for the exchange of ideas, 
information, and best practices, the World Congress also provided a 
good opportunity for USG delegates to hold useful conversations on 
the margins with International Organization (IO),Non-Government 
Organization (NGO), and other foreign government experts from around 
the world. 
 
¶6. The USG delegation played a key role in the drafting of the final 
version of the Rio Declaration (Outcome Document) that was released 
at the end of the Congress pledging participants "to undertake as a 
matter of priority the necessary measures to prevent and stop the 
sexual exploitation of children and adolescents."  The nonbinding 
Outcome Document also incorporates the recommendations and 
discussions from the numerous thematic and regional prepatory 
meetings that were held in the six months leading up to World 
 
BRASILIA 00000079  002 OF 002 
 
 
Congress III. (The Report of the Canada-US Consultation in 
Preparation for World Congress III Against Sexual Exploitation of 
Children and Adolescents can be found at: 
www.ecpat-a.org/pdfs/canada_us_consult_report ).  The USG delegation 
was also intricately involved in discussions on the final wording of 
the Plan of Action document which was a component of the overall Rio 
Declaration.  Delegations worked deep into the night with Special 
Rapporteur Jaap Doek of the Netherlands to try to reach consensus on 
the wording of that important document, which is intended to serve 
as a blueprint for international action over the five-year period 
until the next World Congress is convened. The delegations could not 
reach consensus, so in the interest of bringing the Congress to a 
close, Special Rapporteur Doek decided that the document 
(Plan/Platform of Action) would remain open for comment and revision 
for 30 days (November 28-December 28). (Note: the USG subsequently 
provided comments before the deadline.) 
 
¶7. COMMENT:  By hosting the World Congress III Against the Sexual 
Exploitation of Children and Adolescents the Lula administration 
demonstrated once again its commitment to tackling difficult social 
issues.  This was underscored by Lula's dramatic signing into law 
the bill making possession of child pornography a felony offense in 
Brazil (reftel).  The Congress also highlighted Brazil's increasing 
desire to take a leadership role on important international issues 
and its ability to convoke a global audience to address such issues. 
 Although consensus was not reached by key national government, 
international organization, and NGO participants on the final 
wording of the Plan/Platform of Action before the end of the 
Congress, agreement was reached on the vast majority of its 
provisions. END COMMENT