ECPAT USA is part of a global network of organizations and individuals working together for the elimination of child prostitution, child pornography and the trafficking of children for sexual purposes. It seeks to encourage the world community to ensure that children everywhere enjoy their fundamental rights free and secure from all forms of commercial sexual exploitation.
Dear Friends of ECPAT-USA,
Federal prosecutors in New York City charged Peter Nygard with sex trafficking, racketeering, and other offenses, The New York Times reported. The Canadian fashion mogul’s alleged crimes involve the exploitation of dozens of victims, another shocking example of a powerful man preying upon children in vulnerable positions.
According to the indictment, Nygard targeted girls from “disadvantaged economic backgrounds,” some of whom had a history of abuse. When these girls fought back, they were assaulted or sometimes even drugged “to ensure their compliance with Nygard’s sexual demands.” The Times also reported that Nygard often portrayed himself as a “playboy,” surrounding himself with young women and teenage girls. While he may have viewed the adolescents he abused as a way to access the “fountain of youth,” the allegations suggest that he was entirely unconcerned about robbing his victims of their own childhoods.
After decades of publicly flaunting his predatory acts, Nygard’s arrest this week is an important step toward justice for his victims. But, as with other alleged high profile pedophiles, Nygard could not have built an exploitative empire without significant support from others, and ECPAT-USA demands that federal prosecutors also investigate those who aided and abetted any criminal activity connected to child exploitation. There must be a clear and consistent message from our government: no one, regardless of their privilege, has the right to consume children for their perverse sexual gratification. Until systemic and structural changes are made to end the demand for children’s bodies, we will continue to read tragic accounts of justice delivered too late for young victims.
Your support helps us to continue our meaningful work protecting children from the threat of sexual exploitation and trafficking. Together, let’s keep fighting to create a world where no child is bought, sold, or used for sex.
For more information on this and other ECPAT USA efforts, please email us at info@ecpatusa.org
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