YOKOHAMA
CONGRESS ENDS...
YOUTHSPEAK
Young
People Give Warmth at Chilly Yokohama
By Vera
Ocampo, 20, Philippines
YOKOHAMA,
Japan - I was only 15 when we were in Stockholm for the First
World Congress against Commercial Sexual
Exploitation of Children.
Together with friends from all over the world, we delivered
a strong message that it was time for the adult
world to realise
that we as children were here to be seen and heard.
We bravely
went up the stage to demand that children and young people's
participation be included in all levels of action against the
commercial sexual exploitation of children.
Today, five
years later, I am happy to see that far more
children were welcomed
to the Second World Congress in Yokohama. In the five years
that have elapsed since Stockholm, many children
have been given
the opportunity to rise up and take on the
challenge of participating
in discussions and various actions on issues
directly concerning
them.
In Yokohama,
the young people not only showed how capable they were, they
are also living proof that participation works for everyone.
While the other delegates to the Congress (the adults), were
preoccupied with discussions of their achievements and what
they have been doing for the past five years, the
young people
were not only sharing their experiences but also discussing
suggestions for the future.
In the
first day's keynote address and in the third panel discussion
on Dec. 19, and yet again in the Final Appeal by young people
presented at the close of the congress Thursday, the children
and young people have shown the whole world that
they are young,
and they commit themselves to carrying on the fight against
commercial sexual exploitation.
''We commit
ourselves to share the outcomes with other countries, NGOs,
other young people and children, that are not present here,''
the final appeal document said.
''We promise
to exert efforts to build a network of children and
young people
across the globe, and initiate a fund to facilitate
the implementation
of commercial sexual exploitation-related
activities worldwide.''
Nobody asked
the young people to take on such a commitment, and yet they
willingly did so. I wish governments were like that. I came
to Yokohama looking forward to a world congress
that was better
than the first, in terms of young people's
participation.
By a fair
margin, the Final Appeal from Children and Young People, and
the third panel discussion on Wednesday, were the best parts
of the whole congress.
Fatema from
Bangladesh represented the children and young
people as speaker
in the panel discussion. She raised very important
points that
the young people very much wanted the other
delegates to consider
in their plans for ways forward.
According
to Fatema, "Without participation, there is no way forward."
I could not agree more. The young people also came
up with suggestions,
one of them was of building a Commercial Sexual Exploitation
(CSEC) Fund that can be used for young people's participation
activities all over the world.
''If this
Congress is serious about the importance of youth
participation,
then each government, and each other actor that is
willing and
capable, will donate 100,000 U.S. dollars to the
CSEC Fund for
Youth, or any amount that they have the capacity to give.''
Yokohama
is too cold for me, but I felt warm while watching the young
people performing onstage for the Final Appeal and listening
to their declarations and demands. It is cold in
Yokohama, but
because the young people's declaration came from the bottom
of their hearts, it was more than enough to keep me
warm.
And up onstage
with them singing the theme song of last year's
young people's
conference, holding each other's hands and hugging
each other,
it was not cold any more. For children and young people still
trapped in commercial sexual exploitation, the
world is always
cold.
It is up
to us to help them find warmth and ensure that it
won't forever
be cold. Did I find what I came for? I think that
children and
young people's participation still was not present
in all levels
of this congress.
The greater
number of young people welcomed in the Congress is very much
appreciated, but number is not the key. The skills
and the rich
experiences of the young people present in the Congress still
were not maximised. But in the end, yes, everything
turned out
fine.
We still
have a long way to go to see more genuine and
meaningful participation
in big events like this. I am sure that the young
people enjoyed
themselves and will forever treasure this
experience, as I will,
but I also cannot forget how frustrated most were
in the process.
In the end,
I am glad I came to Yokohama, not only because I got to see
a princess (Takamado of Japan) and a queen (Silvia
of Sweden).
I am happy because I made new friends, and I was able to see
my fellow young people strengthen the fight against
commercial
sexual exploitation of children.
I am glad
for everything that I will take home with me to the
Philippines.
I am grateful for the hope given to young people,
that we might
after all be able to implement more of our plans of action.
I will go home thinking that finally, we may go
forward.
