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Abuses Against Street Children

In August 1993, to cite one example, the Special Rapporteur communicated with
the Brazilian Government concerning allegations of the exploitation and abuse of
street children by law-enforcement officials. The officials were alleged to have
killed eight street children and injured others in Rio de Janeiro in July 1993. The
allegation followed a long list of others noted in the Special Rapporteur's report
on Brazil submitted to the Commission on Human Rights in 1992.The Brazilian
Government responded by acknowledging the charge. "As pointed out in your
communication, this incident is not an isolated case", the Government said in its
response. "The Brazilian Government is well aware that the killings of street
children are not a new phenomenon and that certain elements of the policy may
be implicated in the actions of 'death' squads". Three policemen and a fourth man
were in prison awaiting trial for murder, and the commander of the Fifth Police
Corps in Rio de Janeiro, to whom the three policemen were subordinated, was
dismissed from his post.Non-governmental organizations have played an
important role in pressuring Governments to respect both international law and
in many cases similar laws in their own countries, particularly when it is clear that
they have been partly or largely responsible for violations of those laws. Human
Rights Watch, a non-governmental human rights organization with offices in
Europe and the United States, has investigated numerous allegations. These
include trafficking of women and girls from Nepal into India for use as prostitutes;
the conditions of bonded labourers in Pakistan, many of whom are children; and
the improper detention of juveniles by the criminal-justice system in Jamaica.
Human Rights Watch recently released reports on India and Pakistan in mid-1995
that were highly critical of Government complicity. In the United States, new tools
for fighting sexual abuse of children overseas and international child
pornography have been incorporated into the Mann Act, a 1910 Act of Congress
originally aimed at prohibiting the interstate transportation of women "for immoral
purposes". The amendments, approved after several years of lobbying by
voluntary agencies, make it illegal for American citizens and resident aliens to
travel abroad to engage in sexual acts with minors. The measures would bring
the law into line with US domestic policy. The law -- part of the Violent Crime
Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which was signed into law by President
Clinton -- also pertains to those who conspire to commit such acts, such as
sex-tour operators.A 1986 amendment to the Mann Act made it a crime to
transport a person under 18 between states or abroad with the intention of
having the young person engage in sexual activity.