A/HRC/31/58 1. Prevention 50. In the specific case of situational offenders, awareness-raising programmes that aim to reduce the recourse to prostitution can be helpful. Indeed, as underlined above, such offenders do not seek children per se and will end up exploiting them out of disregard or ignorance of their age. There have been several programmes developed in the United States targeting adults who engage in prostitution that aim to sensitize them about the plight of the individual they are exploiting and prevent the renewed solicitation of prostitutes. These programmes have generally been applied in the context of the criminalization of the purchase of sex and participation in them has been imposed or offered as an alternative to prosecution.43 In the case of the sexual exploitation of children, situational offenders must be prosecuted regardless of the laws on adult prostitution, as is provided by international law. The prevention programmes could nonetheless prove to be useful in order to preclude potential prostitution users from exploiting children in the first place. 51. A key objective of prevention has been to target potential preferential offenders before they act. In 2005, the Institute of Sexology and Sexual Medicine in Berlin developed a prevention approach called the Prevention Project Dunkelfeld. It is based on a media campaign to encourage self-identified, but not officially registered paedophiles and hebephiles to seek professional help. The assistance offered is provided anonymously by a research team that has been specifically trained to build a trustworthy and empathetic relationship during the initial contact. It consists of a specialized one-year treatment programme to ensure that the potential offenders can control their impulses by using cognitive-behavioural techniques and sexological tools, as well as pharmaceutical options. An evaluation of the programme revealed that the primary prevention approach reduced risk factors for child sexual abuse, prevented sexual offending against minors, reduced the number of contact offences, and reduced the frequency and the severity of child pornography offences.44 52. An essential part of any prevention strategy is to fight against corruption in law enforcement and judicial bodies. On the one hand it ensures the prosecution and conviction of offenders and on the other hand it ends a climate of impunity, which fosters the demand for the sexual exploitation of children. 53. In respect to gender-based discrimination and entrenched gender stereotypes, there have been positive initiatives such as the Empowering Young Men to End Sexual Exploitation module created by the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation. It has focused on educating children, particularly boys, about masculinity and the realities of the commercial sex trade, as well as human trafficking.45 54. Rapid and sudden societal or technological changes have also facilitated demand and it is crucial to ensure that such radical revolutions are better managed in order to prevent child sexual exploitation. This applies particularly to the growth of tourism and of the Internet. There have been positive initiatives, such as the Child Safe Tourism campaign developed by World Vision and the International Tourism Partnership in collaboration with Governments from South-East Asia, which targets both potential offenders and intermediaries.46 Similarly, there are numerous initiatives concerning the Internet, such as 43 44 45 46 See Donna Hughes, “Best Practices to Address the Demand Side of Sex Trafficking”, University of Rhode Island, 2004. See www.praeventionstag.de/dokumentation/download.cms?id=2090. See http://caase.org/prevention. Information provided by UNODC Regional Office for South-East Asia and the Pacific. 13