The trafficking of children for purposes of sexual exploitation

• Men from the Northern Suburbs of Johannesburg
• Foreign tourists and local tourists
• Men of all ages, colours, creeds and religions. 84
Interviews with sex exploiters are unusual. Researchers for the ECPAT International 85 study
interviewed 32 sex tourists in Cape Town in 1995. Of these 7 were South African (6 white and 1
Indian) and 25 were foreign expatriates and tourists. Of the latter group 24 were white and 1 was
Chinese.
These authors note that sex exploiters who prefer to have sex with children can convince
themselves that this act does not constitute child sexual exploitation. This is because "prostitution is
associated with notions of contract and consent, the abuser can tell himself that the child he
exploits chose, wants and benefits from the abuse." 86 Foreign sex exploiters also showed "a marked
preference for black and coloured women and girls and having no interest in white prostitutes." 87
The authors note that this is because these men draw on
"classic white racisms about black women's sexuality to construct a fiction in which prostitutes they
sexually exploit actively desire them, actively want and seek sexual congress, rather than being
forced to trade their bodies for economic reasons." 88 (Emphasis in the original)
Some of the men in this sample actively sought out children. One man justified his exploitation of
girls thus: "The little girls, 10 or 12 years old, I wouldn't describe them as innocent, they are not
innocent, but they are fresh. They don't have the attitude of the older whores. The older whores
have gone down hill. They use foul language. They drink. They're hardened. The little girls, they're
not experienced. They're not hardened, they want to please you, they don't know what to expect, you
get a better service from them" 89
This particular sex exploiter does not believe that he is harming the children because they are from
"hot countries" where girls are pregnant at age 12 and their brothers, fathers and uncles have sex
with them. According to the sex exploiter a girl becomes a woman at 12 and at 28 she's an old
woman. 90
In addition there are sex exploiters who believe that sex with a child, especially a virgin will prevent
and even cure sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV and AIDS. And yet others who prefer sex
with children because children are less likely to be able to negotiate the nature of the exchange and
as a consequence the amount charged is less than adult women and more likely to occur without a
condom.
"Truck drivers queuing at the border post at Beit bridge, between South Africa and Zimbabwe, told
Sowetan they prefer "young blood" because they can easily manipulate the girls into fulfilling their
wildest desires.
They also said they drive to Nancefield township to pick up the young girls.
Alfred, a truck driver from Zambia - who last saw his family on December 27 - said he was tempted
to sleep with anyone, even a child, after being away from his woman for so long.
"We see our families maybe once in three months," he said."Sometimes we have to wait here for two
days before clearance.
"These girls appear wearing only an overcoat with nothing on underneath. Even when you try to
ignore them, they just flip open their overcoats."
84 S. Moela: ' Not All Girls have the Luxury of a Real Childhood' City Press 19/9/1999
85 J. O' Connell Davidson and J. Sanchez Taylor; Ibid p.16
86 Ibid p. 28
87 Ibid p. 21
88 Ibid p. 22
89 Ibid p. 27
90 Ibid p.27
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