Child Sex Tourism
responsibletravel.com has partnered with ECPAT UK to support their campaign on child sex tourism by working with them on their code for tour companies. If you are a tourist concerned about child sex tourism read on for more information and to find out how you can help.
ECPAT UK is part of an international network of ECPAT groups in over 67 countries. ECPAT UK was set up by a number of agencies already working on children's rights.
What is Child Sex Tourism?
Child Sex Tourism is the exploitation of children and their communities by people who travel from their own country to another, usually less developed, to engage in sexual acts with minors. Child sex tourism is part of the broader phenomenon of the commercial sexual exploitation of children which is the sexual abuse of a child by an adult paid for either by cash or in kind (through meals, clothes, payment of rent etc). The three main elements are:
a) child prostitution
b) child pornography
c) the trafficking and sale of children for sexual purposes.
Who are the children?
They are both boys and girls aged up to 18 years, though the majority are girls. They generally come from poor, rural families or are homeless children living on the streets. Many are sold by family or friends, tricked or abducted into prostitution. Some children may simply have no other option but to prostitute themselves in order to survive.
Why are children sexually exploited?
The root causes are complex. Poverty, lack of opportunities for education or employment, homelessness, criminal networks and family breakdown are all important factors. Children from minority ethnic groups are particularly vulnerable, as are girls who are often seen as less 'important' than boys. Children are also increasingly seen as commodities in a global market who can be bought or sold.
Nuch, Cambodia.Nuch was a 15 year old girl from Cambodia who ran away from home when her parents tried to force her into marriage she did not want. She ran to Phnom Penh City with her boyfriend but soon after they arrived he took her to a big entertainment club and, without her being aware of it, sold her for $100.
The owners of the club forced her to have sex with a French man four times, charging $20 to $30 each time. They then forced her to go with another foreign man to different pubs every evening from 7.00 pm until 2.00 am - this man did not use a condom while he was sleeping with her.She was finally rescued by police with another 15 girls who were all sent to an organisation that would help them.
World Vision Cambodia , 2002
Who are the abusers?
Not all children are sexually abused by someone who could properly be described as a 'paedophile' or preferential child abuser (i.e. those who have a clear and definite sexual preference for children). Child exploiters in tourist areas can be roughly separated into 'preferential abusers' and 'situational abusers'- men who go on holiday with a 'who cares' and 'anything goes' attitude, and just want as much sexual experience as they can get.
Men who abuse children in tourist areas can, therefore, be young, old, handsome, ugly, fat, thin, professional or manual workers, from any country. They also have a wide range of sexual interests from paedophiles at one end of the continuum to men who want to have a 'holiday romance'. Situational abusers do not necessarily set out to have sex with a minor, but will have sex with girls between the ages of 14-18 if they 'fancy the look of her'.
How is the tourism industry involved?
Unfortunately there is a direct link between the tourism industry and the commercial sexual exploitation of children. By providing relatively cheap, direct flights from the UK to some holiday destinations, the tourism industry provides the anonymity and ease of access that paedophiles, casual sex offenders or situational abusers take advantage of. Child sex tourism is detrimental to the tourism industry as well as being illegal. UK Tour Operators are being encouraged to sign up to a Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism in order to help combat this crime.
What can you do?
Join ECPAT UK. ECPAT UK a campaign fighting to End Child Prostitution, Pornography and Trafficking. ECPAT UK is part of an international network of ECPAT groups in over 50 countries. Through the support of individuals like you who have been involved in letter writing campaigns, petitions, sending postcards, attending conferences and exhibitions ECPAT UK has successfully lobbied for:
A new law that will allow the prosecution in the UK of Britons who sexually abuse children whilst overseas Amendments to the Register of Sex Offenders that better protect children overseas from travelling sex offenders Amendments to legislation on the trafficking of children to the UK for sexual exploitation Virgin Atlantic to air in-flight videos on the sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism
Request that your tour company signs up to the Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism.
ECPAT UK is part of an international network of ECPAT groups in over 67 countries. ECPAT UK was set up by a number of agencies already working on children's rights. What is Child Sex Tourism?
Child Sex Tourism is the exploitation of children and their communities by people who travel from their own country to another, usually less developed, to engage in sexual acts with minors. Child sex tourism is part of the broader phenomenon of the commercial sexual exploitation of children which is the sexual abuse of a child by an adult paid for either by cash or in kind (through meals, clothes, payment of rent etc). The three main elements are:
a) child prostitution
b) child pornography
c) the trafficking and sale of children for sexual purposes.
Who are the children?
They are both boys and girls aged up to 18 years, though the majority are girls. They generally come from poor, rural families or are homeless children living on the streets. Many are sold by family or friends, tricked or abducted into prostitution. Some children may simply have no other option but to prostitute themselves in order to survive.
Why are children sexually exploited?
The root causes are complex. Poverty, lack of opportunities for education or employment, homelessness, criminal networks and family breakdown are all important factors. Children from minority ethnic groups are particularly vulnerable, as are girls who are often seen as less 'important' than boys. Children are also increasingly seen as commodities in a global market who can be bought or sold.
Nuch, Cambodia.Nuch was a 15 year old girl from Cambodia who ran away from home when her parents tried to force her into marriage she did not want. She ran to Phnom Penh City with her boyfriend but soon after they arrived he took her to a big entertainment club and, without her being aware of it, sold her for $100.The owners of the club forced her to have sex with a French man four times, charging $20 to $30 each time. They then forced her to go with another foreign man to different pubs every evening from 7.00 pm until 2.00 am - this man did not use a condom while he was sleeping with her.She was finally rescued by police with another 15 girls who were all sent to an organisation that would help them.
World Vision Cambodia , 2002
Who are the abusers?
Not all children are sexually abused by someone who could properly be described as a 'paedophile' or preferential child abuser (i.e. those who have a clear and definite sexual preference for children). Child exploiters in tourist areas can be roughly separated into 'preferential abusers' and 'situational abusers'- men who go on holiday with a 'who cares' and 'anything goes' attitude, and just want as much sexual experience as they can get.
Men who abuse children in tourist areas can, therefore, be young, old, handsome, ugly, fat, thin, professional or manual workers, from any country. They also have a wide range of sexual interests from paedophiles at one end of the continuum to men who want to have a 'holiday romance'. Situational abusers do not necessarily set out to have sex with a minor, but will have sex with girls between the ages of 14-18 if they 'fancy the look of her'.
How is the tourism industry involved?
Unfortunately there is a direct link between the tourism industry and the commercial sexual exploitation of children. By providing relatively cheap, direct flights from the UK to some holiday destinations, the tourism industry provides the anonymity and ease of access that paedophiles, casual sex offenders or situational abusers take advantage of. Child sex tourism is detrimental to the tourism industry as well as being illegal. UK Tour Operators are being encouraged to sign up to a Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism in order to help combat this crime.
What can you do?
Join ECPAT UK. ECPAT UK a campaign fighting to End Child Prostitution, Pornography and Trafficking. ECPAT UK is part of an international network of ECPAT groups in over 50 countries. Through the support of individuals like you who have been involved in letter writing campaigns, petitions, sending postcards, attending conferences and exhibitions ECPAT UK has successfully lobbied for:
Request that your tour company signs up to the Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism.