A/HRC/55/55 are often put into the abusive situation of being shown in tight or alluring apparel or in the nude. 37 Boys and girls, both homosexual and heterosexual, are the victims of sexual exploitation and abuse in the entertainment industry. While there is little awareness of the availability of counselling and support among both male and female victims, this is especially true for male victims, making it particularly difficult for them to seek consultation.38 The exploitation of boys also tends to be hidden. Girls’ abuse is more readily apparent as, based on the perception of their bodies and secondary sexual characteristics, they are openly treated as adults at an early age. Recently, instances have been reported of children being given artificial steroids and drugs that trigger puberty and the maturation of their sexual organs at an early age.39 4. Business operations and practices that enable trafficking in children 20. Children are trafficked or recruited to work as performers or entertainers 40 by means of fraudulent offers, misleading promises and the exploitation of their hopes and dreams. 41 With millions fleeing conflict and violence or other situations that are increasingly driving displacement and migration, many children end up without their families and are forced to work in the entertainment industry to survive. 42 The need for States to provide proper guidance to businesses in the entertainment sector is, therefore, imperative. 43 The entertainment industry is perceived by many to be a gateway to fame, success and luxury and traffickers use such perceptions to deceive children and their family members, offering false hopes for high salaries and a better life.44 Several documented cases have involved children working as dancers or hostesses and reportedly being subjected to sexual exploitation and violence. Child victims have been discovered in bars and nightclubs and other public venues. Such establishments tend to have dedicated private spaces in which exploitative acts can occur out of sight.45 Such practices allow traffickers to further exploit children, who become isolated from their support networks.46 Strong links between the entertainment sector and the tourism industry have also been recognized, including the presence of unsupervised children in the tourism industry, mostly as vendors of souvenirs, which might increase their vulnerability to exploitation.47 5. Abuse of technology 21. Perpetrators use technology to reach potential victims for exploitative purposes, including the production of child sexual abuse material, through the commercial market of online entertainment.48 Children are exploited in the cybersex industry, which sometimes involves the physical smuggling of children across borders. 49 Traffickers often take advantage of interactive computer services, such as social media platforms, to connect with child victims, abusing children’s limited knowledge regarding the safe use of online space. Modern technology enables offenders to reach out to potential victims and clients through encrypted applications and the dark web. The anonymity offered by online services poses another challenge for law enforcement in investigating technology-facilitated child sexual abuse and exploitation, identifying victims and conducting rescue operations. 50 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 6 See submission from Caritas India. See submission from Japan. Ibid. See submission from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). See submission from Joseph Bonner. See submission from the Centre d’Etudes sur le Leadership et la promotion des Droits Humains. See Committee on the Rights of the Child, general comment No. 16 (2013) on State obligations regarding the impact of the business sector on children’s rights. UNODC Regional Office for South Asia, Compendium of Best Practices on Anti Human Trafficking by Non Governmental Organizations (New Delhi, 2008), pp. 144–146. Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2022 (United Nations publication, 2022), p. 35. See submission from UNODC. See submission from Foundation ECPAT International. See submission from UNODC. See submission from Jubilee Campaign. Ibid. GE.23-25843