By Neisha Roberts
The Alabama Baptist
Although widely viewed as a developing world issue, child prostitution and trafficking of children for sexual purposes in travel and tourism are on the rise globally, according to a recent study.
Despite a 20-year effort to end Sexual Exploitation of Children in Travel and Tourism (SECTT), it “has increased drastically and its nature has changed dramatically,” the study said. “White, western, wealthy, middle-aged men are no longer the typical offender. Offenders can be foreign or local, young or old. … Local, domestic and intra-regional travelers account for most, with many being ‘situational’ offenders, i.e. engaging in child exploitation because of an opportunity and because they feel they will get away with it.”
The study was sponsored by ECPAT (or End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography & Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes) International. ECPAT is a global network of organizations and individuals working to ensure that “children everywhere enjoy their fundamental rights, free and secure from all forms of commercial sexual exploitation.”
The study, released May 12, also found:
- “Offenders could be tourists, business travelers, migrant and transient workers, expats or civil society volunteers.
- “Traveling child sex offenders are usually from the region or country where the offense takes place.
- “There are more than 3.5 million truck drivers and more than 50,000 hotel properties in the United States, two sectors particularly prone to child exploitation.”
- New outlets for exploitation are “created through the Internet and mobile technology, creating and reinforcing anonymity of offenders.”
- “Most child sex offenders did not plan the crime.
- “No child is immune and victims are not only poor. Some are more vulnerable than others, such as the marginalized including minorities, street children and LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender).
- “There are alarmingly low conviction rates for the sexual exploitation of children, which means the majority of offenders evade justice.”
Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, who wrote the International Megan’s Law that was signed into law in February, said, “This is a global problem that requires a global solution. We must build a global coalition to share information and change laws, to make child protection a priority worldwide.”
In 1996, SECTT came to the forefront of global issues at the First World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Stockholm, Sweden, where 122 governments committed to forming “a global partnership” against SECTT and to “develop a national plan of action to tackle the issue in their respective countries,” according to ecpat.net.
Although concrete statistics on SECTT are difficult to obtain given the nature of the crimes, ECPAT has combed through data to create a way to know where children are most vulnerable.
Countries in North, Central and South America have all experienced child sex tourism in varying degrees, according to ECPAT, noting that SECTT is most notably an issue in Mexico and Colombia. Tourist areas see a high incidence of SECTT and tourist arrivals have quadrupled since 1980, the study found.
Kenya and Ghana are countries of concern in Africa and the Philippines and Mongolia in Asia have seen an increase in SECTT in recent years, with the majority of offenders in Asia being local men.
Russia, Estonia and Bulgaria mark countries in Europe that have seen an increase in SECTT.
Alabama Senator Richard Shelby (R), who introduced the Senate’s companion bill to International Megan’s Law, said, “The alarming findings of this study serve as a stark reminder that we must do more to eradicate heinous crimes against children across the globe. I will continue to work tirelessly with … like-minded organizations to identify ways to strengthen … coordination at home and abroad to achieve this goal. Our nation’s most vulnerable citizens deserve nothing less.”
In order to continue to combat the rise in SECTT, the study recommends: “Converting the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s Global Code of Ethics into an international convention with worldwide ratification” and creating a reporting system that provides an easy and safe way to report incidents. It also recommends “working with online service providers to remedy the growing sale of children for sex via the Internet.”
Tennesee Senator Bob Corker (R), said, “No country wants to be known as a destination for child victimization, and it is my hope that these findings inspire a global effort among leaders in the public and private sectors to eradicate this behavior once and for all.”
To view the full study, visit www.globalstudysectt.org.
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