During his visit to Magallanes, the National Defender of Children, Anuar Quesille, met with the executive team of UMAG, led by Rector José Maripani Maripani. The purpose of the meeting was to address various issues affecting children and adolescents (NNA) in the region, such as sexual exploitation, where the area unfortunately has the highest incidence rate, with 294.4 NNA victims of this crime per 100,000 inhabitants, and Punta Arenas accounts for 116 cases, the highest number nationwide.
The International Labour Organization of the United Nations (ILO) considers the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents (ESNNA) as a form of economic exploitation analogous to slavery and forced labor, which also constitutes a crime. It is important to note that ESNNA presents various forms, such as sexual commerce, exploitation and use of children and adolescents in abusive material, ESNNA in the context of travel and tourism, trafficking for sexual exploitation, and digital or online sexual exploitation.
At the end of the meeting, Quesille commented that, in this round of meetings prior to the establishment of the Children’s Ombudsman’s office in Magallanes, they were able to address the challenges the region faces in terms of recognition and protection of children and adolescents. “There are many issues that, due to the particularities of this region, are important to address with a sense of relevance in matters of violence, exploitation, and issues related to the justice system, health, and education,” he said.
Specifically with the university, he stated that “we have an agreement on what needs to be prioritized and also on how to form coordinated working mechanisms because, for the Children’s Ombudsman, the connection with the academic world is very important and crucial to generate and manage the knowledge that leads to the education and training of new professionals who are aware of the importance of safeguarding the rights of children and adolescents,” he pointed out.
For the defender, these approaches and alliances will “undoubtedly facilitate these processes of permanent and periodic linkage, where collaborative work with the university will undoubtedly be a great incentive to fulfill the mandate given to us by law as an autonomous Human Rights body.” In this regard, he added that “we are precisely fine-tuning all the logistical details of our establishment, looking for a building, and starting the hiring process, which is about to begin, but we estimate that before the end of the year, we should have the office up and running to fully work in the region,” he noted.
Finally, Quesille mentioned that they hope to establish a collaboration agreement with UMAG “that includes milestones in academic or research areas and, potentially, also participation in any initiative organized by the Children’s Ombudsman or by the University itself,” he concluded.
The Statistics
Technical Note No. 5 published by the Ombudsman’s Office, titled “Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents (NNA): Factors and Characterization in Recent Years,” presented this past May, reports that between 2022 and 2023, a total of 2,184 children and adolescents were identified as victims of child sexual exploitation in the country by the Public Prosecutor’s Office. This means that, for every 100,000 people aged 0 to 17, 49 suffered this severe form of violence. Over the two years, the rate increased by 29%.
The regions with rates higher than the national average are Arica and Parinacota, Atacama, Valparaíso, O’Higgins, Ñuble, Biobío, Los Ríos, Los Lagos, Aysén, and Magallanes. Particularly concerning is the situation in the Magallanes region, which records a total of 294 victims per 100,000 people. 86% of the victims are girls and female adolescents, and 64% are between 14 and 17 years old.
In total, between 2022 and 2023, 1,024 children and adolescents were identified as victims of sexual exploitation through the provision of sexual services or through the promotion or facilitation of such. This means that, for every 100,000 people aged 0 to 17, 23 suffered this severe form of violence. The regions with the highest rates in the country, per 100,000 people aged 0 to 17, are Magallanes with 242 cases per 100,000 people, followed by Arica and Parinacota with 54.2, Los Ríos with 47.4, Los Lagos with 46.9, and Valparaíso with 46.5. 90% of the victims are girls and female adolescents, and 81% are between 14 and 17 years old.