61st Session of the Human Rights Council, Item 3: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the Sale, Exploitation, and Sexual Abuse of Children

Mr. President,

Every child is a unique masterpiece created, treasured, and loved by God. The Holy See urges the incoming Mandate Holder to focus on two emerging issues, as we confront evolving threats to the inherent dignity of the child, where children are reduced to objects of commerce and exposed to abuse, namely the practice of surrogacy and the harmful use of artificial intelligence.

Firstly, all forms of surrogacy treat the child as an object of a contract rather than a human being with rights. This deplorable practice “transforms gestation into a negotiable service” and “violates the dignity […] of the child, who is reduced to a ‘product’”.[1] In order to protect the child’s right to identity and family relations,[2] their origin must be respected as an inherent right rather than as a negotiable product of a commercial contract. Permitting any form of surrogacy accepts a logic in which the desires of adults take precedence over fundamental rights of the child. My Delegation calls on the incoming Mandate Holder to affirm that the human person can never be the subject of a contract, as the commodification of life - under any guise - is a modern form of the sale of children.

Secondly, the digital world is at risk of becoming a space where “everything becomes an object of commerce and exploitation.”[3] This process of digital commodification is most evident in the harmful use of AI against children. Machine learning systems now facilitate exploitation in unprecedented ways: deepfake technology creates synthetic abuse material that, despite lacking a physical victim, still harms the child’s dignity. Meanwhile, algorithmic targeting identifies and isolates susceptible individuals for grooming purposes. Within this digital ecosystem, the human person must never be reduced to a commodity for commercial profit. However, when content moderation systems prioritize engagement over protection, they effectively reduce the human person to the data that he or she produces.[4] As AI systems are now being used to amplify the sexual abuse and exploitation of children, my Delegation considers this a vital area for the Mandate’s attention.

Thank you, Mr. President.