Child sex tourism

Child sex tourists come from all walks of life; they may be married or single, male or female, wealthy tourists or budget travellers. They may be paedophiles travelling specifically to exploit children to travellers who do not plan their trip with the intention of abusing a child…

Millions of tourists travel overseas every year. Whether they travel for leisure, business or residence, the majority of tourists are responsible travellers who respect the local environment, culture and people. As a result, the impact of tourism is mostly beneficial, particularly for developing countries where foreign visitors make significant financial contributions to local communities through their purchases of accommodation, tours, services and souvenirs.

However, while the majority of tourists are honourable people and travel responsibly, there are some tourists who use tourism as a channel to access children. These criminals use their travel as an opportunity to sexually exploit children. Child sex tourists come from all walks of life: they may be married or single, male or female, wealthy tourists or budget travellers. They may be paedophiles travelling specifically to exploit children to travellers who do not plan their trip with the intention of abusing a child. Anonymity, availability of children and being away from the moral and social constraints that normally govern their behaviour can lead to abusive conduct in another country.

Child sex tourism is the commercial sexual exploitation of minors (under 18) by foreigners. It usually refers to either persons who travel from their own country to another to engage in sexual acts with children, or foreigners who engage in sexual activity with a child while overseas. It often involves a third party who procures a child from local communities. Child sex tourism usually occurs in less developed countries and exists in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Pacific Islands. The sexual exploitation of children in any part of the world, including tourism destinations, affects millions of children around the world. While many perpetrators of child sexual abuse are local citizens, under-developed countries are increasingly becoming popular destinations for tourists who seek to sexually exploit children. Child sex tourism is a growing phenomenon in today's rapidly shrinking world, as access to and information about other countries becomes easier and easier to obtain.

There are many myths that people use to justify child sex tourism. They often justify their behaviour by claiming that it is culturally acceptable in that country or that they are helping the child by providing some money. Some people believe that by paying a child for sex they are helping them because the money will help their family. The fact is most children NEVER see the money because it goes to pimps and brothel owners. Children who are prostituted rarely go on to a normal life. They suffer long-term emotional, physical and social problems. It is also believed that child prostitution is acceptable in other countries. Child prostitution is not acceptable in any country. It is child abuse and is illegal in all countries around the world. Many people believe that children are less likely to be HIV positive which makes them think it is safer to have sex with children. The truth is children are more susceptible to HIV and other STDs, especially if they are involved in the prostitution business. Children have immature tissue in their bodies that tears much more easily than that of adults. Girls may have reproductive problems due to the immaturity of their bodies when they become sexually active.

Destinations of child sex tourists appear to be changing. As prevention and protection efforts are stepped up in one country, child sex tourists may choose a neighbouring country as their destination. This move is apparent between the traditional choice of Thailand and the new preferences of Cambodia for abusers. Destinations also change to a new region of the world, and may be a result of the quest for the "exotic" or mere convenience. Costa Rica is presented as "Thailand in the backyard" in the United States, and leads are given through the Internet to places where one can get a prostituted child cheaply.

THE ROLE OF THE TOURISM INDUSTRY

Tourism itself is not responsible for child sex tourism but creates increased opportunities for the commercial sexual exploitation of children to occur and provides easy access to vulnerable children. For many governments around the world, international tourism provides an answer to economic growth and development. As tourism begins to overtake traditional sources of employment children and young people are encouraged to migrate to tourist areas in the hope that they can earn an income for themselves and their families. The commercial sexual exploitation of children has paralleled the growth of tourism in many parts of the world. The marketing of certain destinations, particularly within Asia, portray images of women and children who are passive, submissive and exotic, reinforcing beliefs that child sexual abuse can be justified and legitimising sexual fantasies. Tourism also brings consumerism to many parts of the world previously denied access to luxury commodities and services. The lure of easy money has caused many young people, including children, to trade their bodies in exchange for t-shirts, walkmans, bikes, etc. In other situations, children are trafficked into brothels on the margins of tourist areas and sold into sex slavery, very rarely earning the money to escape.

Although the largest demand for children in prostitution comes from local clients, foreign sex tourists also travel to engage in sexual activities with children. They may be tourists, business travellers or expatriates and are usually male, although in some cases male and female offenders travel together. Some are preferential offenders with a clear sexual preference for children. Others may not plan to have commercial child sex but take the opportunity while overseas, even though they are unlikely to do so at home. They choose to ignore laws, morals and social and cultural norms by considering it a bit of holiday fun, persuading themselves that they can discard normal social and moral constraints and that they will not be held responsible for their behaviour overseas. Other factors include racist and sexist stereotypes, and a demand for virgins fuelled by HIV/AIDS. Children are bought for prostitution in brothels, bars and beaches in tourist areas. Preferential offenders may befriend local children or arrange for children to be brought to their hotel room through local contacts. In general, sex tours are arranged informally amongst friends or colleagues; however, there have been cases of travel agents being prosecuted for supplying and arranging sex tours.

Child sex tourism is a tourism issue. The tourism industry is ideally placed to take action against commercial sexual exploitation of children, especially by creating a greater awareness amongst tourism sector workers and by actively promoting more responsible and ethical behaviour while travelling.

The Tourism and Travel Industry has played an instrumental role in combating commercial sexual exploitation of children. Industry responses include: setting up task forces and monitoring systems, codes of conduct, declarations, distribution of information, posters, training in tourism schools and training of tourism personnel. Some European airlines are now playing preventive in-flight videos on their long-haul flights, which inform travellers of the laws against child sex tourism. At the international level, travel industry associations and peak bodies are joining forces to see how they can develop policies that they can call upon their members to implement. Declarations have already been agreed upon by some of the world’s largest travel industry bodies: The World Tourism Organization (WTO) established a Child Prostitution and Tourism Watch Task Force, whose goals are to "prevent, uncover, isolate and eradicate" the exploitation of children in the sex trade. In 1994, the Universal Federation of Travel Agents' Association (UFTAA) was the first tourism industry organization to adopt the Child and Travel Agents' Charter. In 1996, the members of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) unanimously passed a resolution condemning the commercial sexual exploitation of children. In 1996, the International Hotel and Restaurant Association passed a resolution against the sexual exploitation of children and published a leaflet urging its members to help stop child sex tourism. In Europe, tour operators have adopted codes of conduct for agents to combat sex tourism.

The role of the travel professional is critical in the fight against child sex tourism. Knowledgeable travel professionals, who are aware of all aspects of tourism, both good and bad, can only be a positive gain for travellers and the travel industry alike. Taking a firm stand against child sex tourism will attract consumers who are looking for a serious and trustworthy business to handle their travel. Create a healthy image of tourism, one that respects human values, not one that promotes other countries as the "exotic other" or exploits the native culture and environment. Provide information to employees and travellers about the New Zealand law against child sex tourism as well as new laws being enforced by governments around the world. Travel and Tourism companies should develop a clearly stated policy which condemns child sex tourism and prohibits involvement in promoting child sex tourism. All personnel should be informed and individually educated about the policy. Personnel should be trained to recognize the signs of a sex tourist and how to properly handle the situation. When confronted with any inquiries about child sex tourism, all personnel should make it known to the prospective traveller that child sex tourism is both unacceptable and illegal. Any known instances of child sex tourism should be reported to the proper authorities.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Reporting an allegation of child abuse is a serious issue and should be carefully considered. As a responsible traveller, you can help to protect children wherever you are:

If you know someone who is selling a child for sexual purposes, including prostitution.
If you know that a foreigner or local person is sexually abusing a child or buying a child for prostitution.
If you know that a hotel, tour operator or travel agent is involved in or making money from selling children for sexual purposes.
If you have concerns about a friend, family member or work colleague who may be sexually exploiting children while travelling overseas…

If you suspect any incidents which indicate children are being sexually exploited: try to find out as much information as possible: name, nationality, where they are staying, passport number, acquaintances, dates and locations. Contact relevant local authorities as soon as possible. Police have established hotlines for reporting child sexual abuse in many Asian countries. Call the hotline in the relevant tourism destination. If you believe this person is a New Zealander then report the incident to ECPAT New Zealand.

Don’t wait – report the incident immediately!

ECPAT groups around the world have worked in cooperation with the tourism and travel industry as well as national government bodies in an effort to stem the flow of child sex tourists. Let ECPAT New Zealand know about destinations where child sex tourism is evident. This will assist in our constant monitoring of the international situation.

THE LAW

Extra-territorial laws have been an important response to Commercial Sexual Exploitation and have been enacted in over 35 countries.