Sexual Exploitation and Poverty of Asian Children Attacked at Forum excerpt
"Lea Robidillo, director of the International Catholic Child Bureau-Asia, spoke at the United Nations University at a forum commemorating the 10th anniversary of Save the Children Japan, a non-government organization (NGO) promoting children's development. 'Society as a whole must stop viewing children as property or as a commodity to be sold,' Robidillo said. 'Many Asian values need to be changed or modified, especially the distorted thinking that child virgins make better sex partners or that women are second-class citizens with no rights compared to men,' she insisted. Robidillo highlighted the problem of pornography and prostitution in Japan, especially among high school girls."
"In another speech, Sylvia Van Dijk, director of Save the Children Mexico, addressed the issue of poverty, saying that 190 million children worldwide suffer from malnutrition. Van Dijk urged governments to allocate more funds to the basic necessities of children, such as food, clothing, clean water and education, adding, "It is time for the needs of children to come first." |
