Child sex tourism industry has boomed

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Funds running out to fight crime

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The global financial crisis has hit hard at the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and child protection agencies that fight child sex crimes in South East Asia.

Funds are running low, and the child sex tourism industry has boomed.

Now a US study has found that sex offenders from Australia are a big part of the problem in Thailand.

A report from the Protection Project at Johns Hopkins University found that sex offenders from Australia topped the list of foreigners involved in child sex tourism in Thailand.

Its executive director, Mohamed Mattar, says the economic downturn means plenty of cheap flights and more children and women living under the poverty line.

"We found that casual tourism and business is part of the problem. So you have a businessman, he goes abroad, and then he would like to have some sex on the side, and he would maybe go for younger boys or girls," he said.

Child sex trafficking may be booming, but donations to NGOs are not.

The Cambodian Children's Painting Project is one of 450 NGOs in Cambodia struggling to survive the global financial crisis, as manager Felix Brooks-Church explains.

"We're an art-based project working with about 100 of these children and our whole focus is to use art as therapy and also as a means to get them off the beach, alternative income and into schools with full sponsorship," he said.

"Our donations have really dropped. We run on a budget of about $3,000 a month and that feeds over 100 kids, schools them. That [has] probably dropped down to $2,000 if not less."

The project has just launched a paintings roadshow in Australia to boost their funds.

"What's remarkable about this piece, and more so the artist, is Sok Piset is 15 years old but he is extremely mentally handicapped, probably learning and acting like a five-year-old," Mr Brooks-Church said.

"But he is able to create these works of art that surpass - as far as abstract and impressionism - surpasses any of the other children."

Cronulla Sharks chairman Damian Irvine was auctioneer at the charity event.

"We should be more charitable in the harshest financial climate, as opposed to cutting back. That is where you must expend all your assets," he said.

Laws
Mohammad Mattar says Australia's law against child sex tourism could be more effective if it is fully implemented.

"The problem is that you're talking about a trans-national crime, you're talking about a distance, you're talking about sex crime, you're talking about a crime that involves children and all these are very complicating factors when you want to prosecute cases of child sex tourism," he said.

But Bernadette McMenamin, the CEO of Child Wise Australia, says the law is not good enough.

She is lobbying the Federal Government to introduce amendments, which include higher penalties for preparatory offences.

"These changes include preparing to travel overseas to sexually abuse a child; so if there is firm evidence, witness, flight tickets. It also includes grooming a child for the purposes of sexual exploitation overseas," she said.

"So we are focusing on the prevention before the sexual acts happen."

Sydney art lover Justine Carter was the winning bidder at the auction, buying Sok Piset's painting for $1,300.

"It is absolutely beautiful and personally I think I got a bargain. Knowing the history and what happened behind it, that money can go to that child and go to that community and it's just absolutely fantastic," she said.

But the extent of the problem is so broad it will take a lot more auctions and many more donations to keep the fight against child sex tourism in Cambodia going.

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Helping to Fight Child Sex Crimes Abroad
 

It is a criminal offence to engage in sexual activity with children, whether in Australia or in another country. Australian law prohibits sexual activity with children under 16 when in Australia or overseas. 

To combat child sex tourism, Australia has introduced laws that make it an offence for Australian citizens and residents to engage in sexual activity with children in foreign countries. The laws also prohibit the incitement or encouragement of these offences, or gaining benefit from them, including organising child sex tours. 
 

 Statistics compiled by the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT) detail the extent to which human trafficking, including forced labor and sexual exploitation, permeates the fabric of the global economy. An estimated 2.5 million people are victims of human trafficking, and 161 countries are affected. 

The majority of the 2.5 million trafficking victims are between 18 and 24 years of age, and 95% of victims experienced physical or sexual violence during trafficking. 43% of victims are used for forced commercial sexual exploitation, and 32% are used for forced economic exploitation. 

At the UN Special Session on Children in 2002, the UN estimated that 1.2 million children are trafficked every year, primarily for sexual exploitation and child labor. The underlying reason why children are susceptible to trafficking is always poverty, according to the UN. 

Global annual profits made from trafficking are estimated to be $31.6 billion, of which $15.5 billion (49%) is generated in industrialized economies. The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that 80% of all forced labor abuse takes place in the private economy. The remainder occurs at the hands of governments and rebel military groups. 

The globalization of the economy has resulted in the management of complex supply chains and outsourcing operations by multinational corporations. While management of human rights in their supply chains has become more of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) mandate for companies, the reputational risks associated with the use of forced labor remains considerable for many companies. A recent survey undertaken by UN.GIFT and the UN Global Compact found that the relationship between business and human trafficking remains poorly understood.

 To the casual observer, responsibility for curbing the international crimes of human trafficking and child sex tourism might not seem to belong to business. Forcing individuals into slavery or indentured servitude, and traveling to mostly developing countries for the purpose of the sexual exploitation of children, might be seen as the exclusive responsibility of national governments and the rule of law instead. 

According to Lauren Compere, the Director of Shareholder Advocacy at Boston Common Asset Management, "For years, companies have pushed back against activist shareholders and said that matters of human rights are really government issues." 

But in reality, governmental intervention is often insufficient at best, and in some cases government complicity in the practices is undisguised. In Uzbekistan, for instance, children as young as twelve years old are forced into laboring in cotton fields at harvest time for long hours. Local governments in countries in Asia and Central America too often turn a blind eye to the presence of a lucrative sex tourism industry that exploits an estimated one to two million children worldwide. 

In recent years, inroads have been made in combating what the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), a faith-based shareowner advocacy organization, has called "globalization's darkest secret." But what contribution can business make in helping to eradicate human trafficking and child sex tourism? 

 Participants also said: “We commend many local, national, and regional efforts to promote the rights of the child and to combat child sex tourism. However, we witness an increasing incidence of this crime against children. We urge all sectors of society, particularly the ASEAN member states, to immediately escalate action to protect children and prosecute offenders. We recognize the importance of regional and international cooperation to ensure offenders are brought to justice.”

In the document titled, “Bali Commitment and Recommendation,” participants recognized that one of the most prominent challenges facing child sex tourism in the ASEAN region is poverty. The participants were unanimous in their belief that “poverty remains a root cause of child sex tourism.” Other factors include limited access to education, gender relations, and weak law enforcement capacity. Technological advances, in particular the pervasiveness of the Internet and child abusive images, have contributed to the current magnitude of the sexual exploitation of children. 

In addition, participants also felt that there is no international agreement on the term “child sex tourism.” They agreed that some tourism stakeholders are concerned about the possible undesirable effect on the tourism industry. “Moreover, the term may not accurately capture the phenomenon, as long-term visitors, foreign residents, and domestic travelers are increasingly committing this crime,” participants said. “An alternative term used by law enforcers is ‘traveling child sex offenders.’”