Inter Press Service: Adolescent Health Congress Skirts Issue of Abuse, Trafficking
“…Unfortunately, violent crimes like sexual slavery, [‘sexual cleansing’], molestation at schools, or breast ironing — another crime reported widely from Western Africa — were missing from the Congress on Adolescent Health, as were issues of cross-border sex trafficking of adolescent boys and girls in Asia and community-backed forced prostitution of young women in India. Mental health was discussed as a generic issue, but rising cases of mental illness in militarized and conflict zones were also missing…” (Paul, 10/30).