A two-year Global Study by ECPAT International finds that more children are being sexually exploited than ever; and that this is an endemic phenomenon across the world. The authors point out that the report comes despite a 20-year multi-sector effort to end the Sexual Exploitation of Children in Travel and Tourism (SECTT).
White, western, wealthy, middle-aged men are no longer the typical offender. Offenders can be foreign or local, young or old; some are pedophiles, but most are not. Local, domestic, and intraregional travellers account for most, with many being “situational” offenders, ie. engaging in child exploitation because of an opportunity and because they feel they will get away with it, say the report authors.
Dr. Najat Maalla M’jid, Chair of the High-Level Task Force for the Global Study on the Sexual Exploitation of Children in Travel and Tourism, said: “We must all share the burden of ending sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism. It is a moral obligation to act now to protect all children from this shocking crime wherever they are.”
In the last 20 years international tourist arrivals have grown from 527 million to 1.135 billion annually, providing significant financial gain for most of those involved. Even the most remote parts of the planet are now visited. Yet, with this increase in global travel comes greater risk for children, says the study. Its findings include:
– There is no typical offender, they are tourists, business travelers, migrant and transient workers, expats or civil society volunteers;
– Travelling child sex offenders are usually from the region or country where the offence happens;
– The internet and mobile technology have fueled the increase in SECTT by creating new ways for exploitation and reinforcing anonymity of offenders;
– Most child sex offenders did not plan the crime, they commit because there is an opportunity and they feel they can get away with it;
– 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;
– Services for victims remain inadequate;
– Enforcement and prosecution of offenders is hindered by a lack of coordination and information sharing between authorities; and
– There are low conviction rates for the sexual exploitation of children, which
means most offenders evade justice.
Southeast Asia has long been viewed as a primary region for SECTT and remains a destination for offenders today. However, the majority of offenders in this region are local men. In South Asia, home to half of the world’s poor, SECTT affects boys through street-based exploitation, and girls in brothels and other sex venues. Domestic and regional travellers are the primary offenders.
In East Asia SECTT is dominated by local men travelling within the region, with domestic travellers outnumbering foreign ones. In the Pacific Island states children are at high risk in the mining, logging and fishing industries. In Australia and New Zealand children from indigenous communities are at a higher risk. In the Middle East and North Africa a key concern is the status of women and girls who are particularly vulnerable to child or “temporary” marriage. In sub-Saharan Africa children are at highest risk in remote areas.
In Latin America the incidence of SECTT is particularly in tourist areas near poor and excluded communities. Tourist arrivals in Latin America have quadrupled since 1980, with three-fourths of the travelers coming from the United States and Canada. The US and Canada are source countries for offenders, who travel to other regions to sexually exploit children. However, child sex trafficking in business travel, major events, conferences, oil fields, transport hubs, etc. have made the US and Canada destination countries. Europe is also viewed as a source for offenders with SECTT increasing, primarily in central and eastern Europe.
The study was funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, through ECPAT-Defence for Children in the Netherlands. Visit http://globalstudysectt.org.
