Ofelia Calcetas Santos, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Sale of Children, Sexual Exploitation of Children and Child Pornography, during her visit to Guatemala has linked the sale of babies and children in Guatemala with "international adoptions." The idea for the UN Rapporteur's visit to Guatemala came after UNESCO’s 1999 Stop Paedophilia Conference. The special rapporteur also called on the Guatemalan government to make legal reforms that would better protect children. Calcetas Santos made this announcement during an hour-long press conference as part of her inspection of the country. "I am really surprised to find that when I mention the sale of children people immediately refer to adoptions, which is something I have not found in other countries," said Calcetas Santos. "I can say with assurance of accuracy that the problem of the sale of children in Guatemala is associated with international adoptions." Expressing her concern over the role of lawyers in this process, she said: "It would seem that participation of lawyers is something that comes up every time we mention adoptions. All sectors with which we have spoken state that there is a serious need to review private adoptions in order to stop them from being a cover for the sale of children." As part of her visit her visit, the special investigator visited child advocacy agency Casa Alianza/Covenant House Latin America where she talked with Guatemalan mothers who have been helped by the organization to recuperate their babies, which were given away in illegal international adoptions. Calcetas Santos also went out on the streets with Regional Director of Caza Alianza, Bruce Harris, and met the victims of child prostitution. During today's conference the Special Rapporteur lamented the suffering of Guatemalan children. "Very sadly, a lot of Guatemalan children are falling within my mandate. Many Guatemalan children are the subject of sale and in certain parts of the country they are profoundly involved in prostitution," she said. Other issues of concern voiced by Calcetas Santos centered on the general suffering experienced by street children, child pornography and AIDS. In response to the problems outlined the Special Rapporteur called for a new adoption law to better protect children. She also said that the authorities in the country should take initiatives to comply with their obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The formulation of laws to protect children and the young forms part of Guatemala's duties under the Convention, but so far has been postponed three times. Guatemala was the sixth country in the world to ratify the Convention. Special Rapporteurs to the United Nations receive information about individual cases of violations or threatened violations of human rights as part of their investigations in a country. After making an analysis of the problem the expert may make recommendations to the government asking its members to take necessary action. The Special Rapporteurs make a formal report to the UN Committee on Human Rights in Geneva. The final report of the UN Special Rapporteur to Guatemala will be presented to the United Nation's Commission on Human Rights in Geneva at their next session in April 2000. (Source :Casa Alianza) Communication and Society - Children and Youth issues Sexual Abuse of Children, Child Pornography and Paedophilia on the Internet: An international challenge - Expert Meeting, UNESCO, Paris, 18-19 January        Contact:Choy Arnaldo, UNESCO, Communication Division