"It's the worst kind of human exploitation
imaginable. Can you imagine young children, learning their
ABCs or whatever the equivalent is in their language, being
used as sexual slaves for predators? It is a sin against humanity,
and it is a horrendous crime."
We all remember being told "never to take candy from
strangers." We all certainly intend, if we haven't already,
to tell our own children the same. The implication of this
common warning, adults know, is not to protect our children
from sweets, but the horror of possible abuse. The thought
of a child being violated by a sexual predator is the ultimate
nightmare - as terrifying and haunting a notion as most of
us can conceive. And yet, throughout the world, there are
people who have literally made it their business to accommodate
these predators. Children throughout the world, including
America, are victimized not just by pedophiles themselves,
but by the industries that spring up around and abet child
sex tourism.
Child sex tourism (CST) is an organized multi-million dollar
industry (including tour guides, websites and brothel maps).
Sexual predators will often travel to developing countries
looking for anonymity and the availability of children in
prostitution. Developing countries, whose poverty levels encourage
desperation, are potential hot spots for predators with money
to spend on a criminal desire. Lack of infrastructure, weak
law enforcement, corruption, and ease of travel all exacerbate
conditions in which the child sex tourism industry can be
accommodated.
Neary grew up in rural Cambodia. Her parents died when she
was a child, and, in an effort to give her a better life,
her sister married her off when she was 17. Three months later
she and her husband went to visit a fishing village. Her husband
rented a room in what Neary thought was a guest house. But
when she woke the next morning, her husband was gone. The
owner of the house told her she had been sold by her husband
for $300 and that she was actually in a brothel. For five
years, Neary was raped by five to seven men every day. In
addition to brutal physical abuse, Neary was infected with
HIV and contracted AIDS. The brothel threw her out when she
became sick, and she eventually found her way to a local shelter.
She died of HIV/AIDS at the age of 23.
This is but one of a few of the heartbreaking stories of
victims of child sex tourism perpetrators that can be found
at the US State Departments' Office to Monitor and Combat
Trafficking in Persons. They are provided to illustrate the
many forms of trafficking for the purpose of child prostitution.
Indeed, stories of this sort affect over a million of the
world's children according to the US State Department's 2006
Trafficking in Persons Report.
While much of the initial international attention on sex
tourism of children focused on the countries of Southeast
Asia, there is no hemisphere, continent, or region unaffected
by this trade. As countries develop their economies and tourism
industries, commercial exploitation of children seems to surface.
No country is immune.
Increasingly, governments are responding to the growing problem,
recognizing that child abuse is unjustifiable under any circumstances.
Over the last five years, there has been an increase in the
prosecution of child sex tourism offenses. To date, at least
32 countries have laws that allow the prosecution of their
citizens for CST crimes committed abroad. In addition, NGOs
and tourism industry professionals have begun to address the
issue.
What Businesses Can Do
Multinational corporations operating in countries with repressive
governments, weak rule of law, endemic corruption, child exploitation,
or poor labor standards could face serious risks to their
reputation and share value if they are seen as responsible
for, or complicit in the child sex tourism industry. In 2003,
The World Tourism Organization (WTO) and End Child Prostitution,
Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes
(ECPAT), funded by the United Nations Childrens Fund, created
a global Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from
Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism, applying to suppliers
of tourism services worldwide.
Travel, tourism, and hospitality companies can sign the Code
of Conduct to Protect Children from Sexual Exploitation in
Travel and Tourism, which requires them to implement the following
measures:
Establish a corporate ethical policy against commercial
sexual exploitation of children (CSEC);
Place clauses in contracts with suppliers stating a common
repudiation of CSEC;
Report annually on their progress;
Train tourism personnel;
Provide information to travelers; and
Provide information to local "key persons" at
travel destinations.
In 1996, the International Hotel & Restaurant Association
(IH&RA), recognizing that child sex abusers may attempt
to use hotels as the location where they commit their crimes,
passed a resolution condemning the sexual exploitation of
children and recommending all members to consider measures
to prevent use of their premises for commercial sexual exploitation
of children. IH&RA encourages members to sign the 2003
Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual
Exploitation in Travel & Tourism. ("Health &
Society: Combating the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children",
IH&RA) Signatories to the Code include Carlson Hotels,
Radisson Hotels and Accor Hotels
What YOU can do
Write to your travel agency, preferred hotel, or tourism
company to find out if they have signed to Code of Conduct.
If not, urge them to sign on, and consider looking for other
providers who have signed on until your preferred provider
has signed.
Stay informed and support the efforts of authorities and
the tourism industry to prevent commercial sexual exploitation
of children;
Support the efforts of NGOs working to protect children
from commercial sexual exploitation.
Teach children and young people to never surrender their
passports to anyone other than government officials when
traveling outside of the country.
Be aware that any U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident
arrested in a foreign country for sexually abusing minors
may be subject to return to the U.S., and if convicted,
can face up to 30 years imprisonment; and
Report to the authorities abroad and/or to the U.S. Department
of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement
if you suspect children are being commercially sexually
exploited in tourism destinations;
To provide information on child sex tourism involving
American citizens, call the U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement tipline at: 1-866-DHS-2ICE. If immediate assistance
is needed, contact the regional security officer at the
local American embassy or consulate, or foreign law enforcement
officials.
