Welcome to the Inter-American Observatory on Commercial Sexual Exploitation and other forms of violence against children and adolescents.

The Observatory is a meeting point for a community of diverse actors as governors and officials of the three government state powers, the Defenders, the Public Ministry, the civil society organizations, other OAS and United Nations organizations and scholars and citizens interested in promoting the integral protection of children and adolescents from a rights approach towards commercial sexual exploitation and other forms of violence.

We understand the Observatory as a centre of thought, as a tool to learn a difficult problem, to analyze it and influence on the major causes and the key players involved in the search for solutions. To this end, the Observatory is dedicated to collect, study and analyze information, think about it and disseminate the knowledge on the subject.

Based on the guiding principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Inter-American norms, we intend to collaborate and influence with the public, private and non-governmental players so that their protective action is effective, efficient and integral for all the children and adolescents of the Americas.

To carry forward the Observatory a General Cooperation Agreement has been signed on November 29, 2007 between ECPAT International, Save the Children Sweden and the Inter-American Children’s Institute.