Summary

A Spanish language public education campaign designed to raise awareness and address demand for child sexual exploitation.

Type of intervention

Public education

Target groups, level of prevention and subgroups

• (Potential) Offenders | Primary prevention | Young Adults (18-20 years), Adults (21+ years) | Male | Public education | English, Spanish
• (Potential) Offenders | Secondary prevention | Young Adults (18-20 years), Adults (21+ years) | Male | Public education | English, Spanish
• Communities and Families | Primary prevention | Young Adults (18-20 years), Adults (21+ years) | Male | Public education | English, Spanish

 

Target population

Adult males.

Delivery organisation

NGO Raices (Chile) working in partnership with media and the private sector. Raices is a member organisation of ECPAT international. It is active in Chile in preventing child sexual exploitation (CSEC) through advocacy, prevention initiatives and training.

Mode and context of delivery

The No Hay Excusas Campaign was carried out in 2006-7 in Chile. It aimed to raise awareness, to address demand for child sexual exploitation (CSEC) and to challenge gender stereotypes. Delivered as part of the wider Tejiendo Redes Project coordinated by ILO/IPEC which was also carried out in Colombia, Paraguay and Peru. Delivered in Spanish language. This was the first campaign of its kind in Chile. The campaign used TV, radio, the Internet and a variety of tools including DVDs, stickers, flyers and banners, to communicate its messages. It involved a partnership between an NGO and the media and the involvement of the private sector.

Level/nature of staff expertise required

This cross-sector campaign required expertise in relation to CSEC and child protection, campaigning skills, ability to engage others, develop strategic alliances and work in partnership and media and communication expertise, including use of different media and methods.

Intensity/extent of engagement with target group(s)

This was a one-off campaign to a mass audience, so the level of engagement was brief and variable. The use of different media was designed to increase reach. The use of different tools such as posters, flyers, banners and DVDs was intended to increase the sustainability and replicability of the campaign.

Description of intervention

No Hay Excusas (There is no Excuse) was a Spanish language campaign in Chile to prevent commercial child sexual exploitation (CSEC) through awareness raising and challenging myths and gender stereotypes with a view to reducing demand for CSEC. The campaign, the first of its kind in the area, questioned the justifications used to support commercial sex with children, which often places responsibility on the child rather than the offender, for example ‘I don't exploit them - I pay them‘ or ‘Nobody is forcing them to engage in paid sex’. The campaign used TV, radio and the Internet, together with a range of tools including DVDs, stickers, flyers and banners to disseminate the campaign's messages. The development of strategic alliances and partnership-working between the private and voluntary sector was an important element of the campaign’s success, its impact and of its sustainability.

Evaluations

The campaign was described as promising. See report by ILO/IPEC (2007) Buenas Practicas y Lecciones Aprenididas: Tejendo Redes contra la Exploitacion de Ninos, Ninas y Adolescentes – Chile, Colombia and Paraguay y Peru at www.ilo.org.

References

• ILO/IPEC (2007) Buenas Practicas y Lecciones Aprenididas: Tejendo Redes contra la Exploitacion de Ninos, Ninas y Adolescentes – Chile, Colombia and Paraguay y Peru. Available at: www.ilo.org.
• ILO/IPEC (2007) The demand side of the commercial sexual exploitation of children and adolescents in Chile, Colombia, Paraguay and Peru.

 

Contact details

Contact via ECPAT International or ONG Raices:

• Junita Upadhyay, ECPAT International, Bangkok, Thailand, +662 215 3388 or +662 611 0972.
• ONG Raices at Moneda 812, Officiana 1041, Santiago, Chile, 115016108511826, www.ongraices.org.

RATING: Pioneering

Information correct at September 2019