U.N. rapporteur on child sale, prostitution visits Morocco

The United Nations special rapporteur on child sale and prostitution, Ms. Ofelia Calcetas-Santos, will visit Morocco on Feb. 28 through Mar. 3, it was announced here.

The U.N. official will visit the Moroccan cities of Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakesh to get information on the situation of children in Morocco, especially regarding street children's vulnerability to sexual exploitation, spokesman of the U.N. High Commission for Human Rights, Jose Diaz, told MAP bureau in Geneva.

Calcetas-Santos will also visit the northern city of Tangiers to glean data on "the allegations according to which Moroccan children as well as those of North and Western Africa, are smuggled into Europe," the spokesman said.

During her stay in Morocco, Calcetas-Santos will confer with Moroccan officials and with representatives of NGOs operating in the field of child protection.