Original article (in Serbian) was published on 26/4/2024; Author: Stefan Kosanhović
“The United Nations report advocates for the legalization of PAEDOPHILIA”, claims the sensationalist title of the text published on the web portal Nulta tacka, known for promoting conspiracy theories. The text further states that “alternative media from the West” are broadcasting a disturbing report that “the United Nations created”, which insists on the decriminalization of pedophilia. In reality, the controversial report was not published by the UN, a fact confirmed by the organization to Raskrikavanje. Moreover, the human rights NGO that authored the report clarified that it does not advocate for the decriminalization of pedophilia.
At the beginning of the article, Nulta tacka includes a link to a report allegedly written by the UNAIDS, the United Nations Joint Program to Combat HIV and AIDS. The report is aimed at legal professionals, judges, and governments, exploring how criminal laws can infringe on human rights. It highlights concerns over what it views as the unjust criminalization of various issues, including drug possession for personal use, abortion, consensual sexual activities, same-sex relationships, and homelessness.
One paragraph, in particular, captured the attention of certain media, including Nulta tacka. The paragraph refers to consensual sexual relations, including those involving minors.
The report’s controversial aspect is its omission of any specific age that defines consent for sexual activities. Nulta tacka interprets this omission as implying that children can consent to sex with adults, though the report itself does not explicitly state this.
The publication in question was not authored by the UN but by the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), a Switzerland-based NGO dedicated to protecting human rights and the rule of law globally. It’s clearly stated at the beginning of the publication that the ICJ is the author. Raskrikavanje confirmed with the United Nations that the UN did not publish this report.
As clarified in the response to Raskrikavanje: “There is no such UN document. The International Commission of Jurists is a non-governmental organization and is not a body of the United Nations”.
The document concludes with a list of individuals who endorse its principles, some of whom are current or former UN employees. However, it is explicitly stated that their support for the document is strictly personal.
Does the Publication Advocate the Legalization of Pedophilia?
In the report’s section on consensual sexual activities, it discusses relationships involving individuals younger than the age limits prescribed by domestic laws but does not advocate for abolishing these age limits or normalizing pedophilia.
“In this context, the enforcement of criminal law should reflect the rights and capacity of persons under 18 years of age to make decisions about engaging in consensual sexual conduct and their right to be heard in matters concerning them (…) with due regard to their age, maturity and best interests,” the report states.
The ICJ published the publication in March of last year. One month later, it issued a statement due to media texts which presented the document as promoting paedophilia.
The (ICJ) published the report in March last year. Following media misinterpretations that portrayed the document as promoting pedophilia, they issued a statement one month later to clarify the misconceptions.
According to the ICJ statement: “The 8 March Principles do not call for the decriminalization of sex with children, nor do they call for the abolition of a domestically prescribed minimum age of consent to sex. Indeed, the ICJ stresses that States have a clear obligation under international law to protect children from all forms of abuses, such as child sexual abuse, including through the criminalization of such conduct.”
In recent years, domestic media have frequently spread misinformation akin to this incident. For example, discussions around the potential legal recognition of same-sex unions in Serbia were misleadingly linked to the legalization of pedophilia. Raskrikavanje has consistently identified and addressed these false narratives across various web portals and social media platforms.
Last month, there were claims that the Center for Social Work in Novi Sad may have sold three children to members of a pedophilia ring. Also, at the end of the month, Nulta tacka wrote that “The World Economic Forum calls for the urgent legalization and protection of paedophiles”. This organization confirmed to Raskrikavanje that such claims are unfounded and fake.