Calls for 'adequate measures' to protect children from sexual exploitation

Prevention, awareness campaigns and parental education are crucial to encourage children that are victims of sexual exploitation and their families to talk "so that we can be able to protect them," said Moroccan Secretary of State in charge of Family, Children and Handicapped persons, Yasmina Baddou.

"The national action plan for children protection, that is being finalized, contains a section dedicated to provisions aimed at protecting children from sexual exploitation," said Baddou in an interview published Monday by "L'Opinion" in the wake of the Arab-African conference on fighting sexual exploitation of children (December 14-16), to be held in Rabat.

Baddou deplored the lack of studies on the sexual exploitation of children, noting however that "Morocco is not a privileged destination for sexual tourism."

She explained that Morocco was chosen to host the Arab-African conference because "it is among rare countries in the region that broke the taboo on this phenomenon."