 Looking for a challenging speaker for your next Convention or special event?
International speaker, campaigner, lobbyist, law reformer and lawyer, Denise Ritchie speaks out frankly on issues that most people shun.
Since 1993 Denise has worked on issues relating to the global child sex trade - child prostitution, child sex tourism, child pornography and child sex trafficking, while also running a family law practice until 2003. She has participated in major international meetings of experts and conferences on combating the child sex trade including in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Thailand, Lyon (Interpol), Sweden, Vienna, Taiwan, Yokohama, Vancouver and Fiji. She sat on the International Board of ECPAT as the Pacific representative for three years, and stood down in 2001 in order that she might play a greater role in addressing demand issues.
In 1994 Denise was the key petitioner in amendments to the New Zealand Crimes Act, for extraterritorial provisions prohibiting sexual crimes against children overseas. In recent years she has had a high profile in her home country, for campaigning and lobbying for child pornography law reform.
Denise has been interviewed by various world media including BBC World Service. Her speaking offers a stimulating insight into a human rights issue that is a modern-day slavery.
Internationally, Denise is best remembered for her challenging address to some 3,000 delegates at the 2nd World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children hosted in Yokohama in December 2001, where she spoke out against the lack of focus on demand factors that are pivotal to the existence of the child sex trade. Her call for increased male participation saw a number of male delegates stand to their feet, as a commitment to finding solutions for sexual violence and sexual exploitation which is, as Denise points out, overwhelmingly male-driven.
Her passion about stopping demand remains as strong today. In May 2003 she, together with several trustees, set up Stop Demand Foundation. Denise now works full-time on Stop Demand issues, locally and globally.
In November 2004 Denise addressed a Post-Yokohama Mid-Term Review hosted in Bangkok, highlighting the poor progress on demand issues since the 2001 World Congress. Some 20 governments of the East Asia and Pacific Region unanimously adopted a Stop Demand Resolution drafted by Denise, committing themselves "to addressing as a matter of priority the demand that fosters the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), recognising the need to condemn and challenge behaviours, beliefs and attitudes that support and sustain CSEC, recognising that until demand for CSEC is reduced the supply of children will continue to exist. To this end we call on increased male participation to assist us in our work to eliminate CSEC."
Stop Demand calls for global action to stop the child sex trade and all forms of sexual violence and sexual exploitation of children. Denise says: "It's a global problem, it's our problem. Sexual violence against children is a violation of their dignity and fundamental human rights. It is a disgrace to humanity. It must stop."
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