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5.4 Child Sex Tourism
South Africa is considered a popular destination for child sex offenders. 180 Academics indicate
that underage sex tourism occurs in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth and
Durban. However, extensive research on the prevalence of child sex tourism is lacking 181 .
A study by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and the Sex Worker Education and Advisory
Taskteam reported no evidence of children in Cape Town brothels and over a 24-month
research period, while a total of five children were encountered selling sex on the street. Most
brothel owners and managers interviewed said that foreigners visit their facilities from time
to time, particularly during the tourist season in Cape Town, but all relied on local clients for
the bulk of their business. 182 However, a child rights expert reported to ECPAT that street
children are having sexual encounters with non-South Africans on numerous occasions. In
addition, arrested child sex tourists are often charged with indecent assault or rape, it makes it
difficult to find them in the statistics. Some child sex tourists that have been convicted have
originated from Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and the United States. 183
A local Code representative (ECPAT Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from
Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism) in South Africa, says that even though there
is little evidence of commercial sexual exploitation of children by tourists in South Africa,
many underlying conditions (such as poverty and many vulnerable children) are present.
It is becoming increasingly important to protect children through awareness- raining. 184 In
connection with the 2010 football World Cup, two initiatives have served the purpose of
raising awareness on child sex tourism in South Africa: the signing of ‘The Code’ by tourism
companies, and the UNICEF Red Card campaign.
No child’s play | 32