Sex Tourism Trade Throughout the World

Sex Tourism Trade Throughout the WorldTravelers Taking Trips For Illicit PurposesJan 4, 2009 Martha R. GoreTourists seeking sexual experiences with children and youths are fueling an industry that spans theglobe.Sex tourism is a very lucrative industry that spans the globe. Countries that have become primedestinations for tourists seeking sex include: Malaysia, the Phillipines, , Thailand, Mexico and CentralAmerica. It is estimated by the non-profit organization End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography, andthe Trafficking of Children, (ECPAT), that more than one million children worldwide are drawn into thesex trade each year.Poverty Influence in Sex TourismMany nations with with thriving sex tourism industries suffer from wide spread poverty resulting fromturbulent politics and unstable economics. Children in families who are illiterate, with limitedemployment opportunities and bleak financial circumstances are easy targets for procurement agents insearch of young children. They are lured away from broken homes by "recruiters" who promise themjobs in the city and then force the children into prostitution. Poor families have been seen to prostitutetheir children or sell them into the sex tourist trade to obtain needed money. In some countries, femalechildren have fewer educational opportunities or the skills for employment and are forced into thismeans of earning a living.Internet as a Marketing ToolThe Internet has provided a convenient marketing way that is accounting for the recent rise in sextourism. Websites provide potential child sex seekers with pornographic accounts written by other sextourists. Here can be found details of sexual exploits with children and information on sexestablishments and prices in various destinations and how to specifically procure child prostitutes.Sex tour travel agents even publish brochures and guides on the Internet. Governments in need ofincome from the sex tourism turn a blind eye to the sexual exploitation.Children as Victims of Sex TourismAccording to ECPAT, international child prostitutes are known to serve between two and thirty clients ayear, adding up to 100 to 1500 per clients, per child. They may be as young as ten-years-old. Many ofthem have physical ailments, including tuberculosis, exhaustion, infections, and physical injuriesinflected upon them. Venereal diseases, drug use and suicide is common among them.Typical Sex Tourists

Sex tourists are typically males and come from all income brackets, coming from nations in WesternEurope and North America. The sex tourists are sometimes pedophiles that seek out children for sexualrelationships, however many are individuals who do not consistently seek out children as sexualpartners, but do occasionally engage in sexual acts with children when the opportunity presents itself.They are often drawn towards child sex while abroad because they enjoy anonymity that comes withbeing in a foreign land. There is a sense of being free from moral restraints that would cover suchbehavior in their own country.International Response to Sex TourismEfforts to combat child sexual exploitation run into conflicts with foreign governments' desire topromote the international tourism industry. So far, the international community has not been able todepend on the destination countries to protect the right of child victims. In the United States (U.S.), thereare proposals to increase the prosecution of its citizens who engage in sexual acts with children whenabroad. As a global leader, the U.S. is committed to using its power to reform and eradicate the child sextourism industry.As long as tourist sex remains a lucrative industry and countries allow it to continue with impunity,millions of children will continue to be its victims.U. S. Department of JusticeCopyright Martha R. Gore. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.