Note: We consider Child sex tourism as a crime, and are extremely against of such activities. This article is to raise awareness about negative impact of child sex tourism and how to combat it.
With the advent of the sex tourism industry, certain socio economic issues like that of violence, human trafficking, and use of children became prevalent. Child sex tourism is one of the socio economic issues that have tainted the image of sex tourism industry as a whole. This has been a major issue of concern on a global platform. Child sex tourism (CST) is tourism for engaging in the prostitution of children, that commercially facilitates child sexual abuse.
Child Sex Tourism results in both physical and mental trauma for children victimized. Child Sex Tourism is a part of the multi-billion dollar sex tourism industry. Child sex tourism victimizes approximately 2 million children around the world making their life a hell. Contrary to the belief that major child abusers are pedophiles, notably more child abusers are the preferential users who prefer using children below the age of 12 for sexual interests.
There has been a recent increase in the Child Sex tourism and 38 countries have stringed their extraterritorial laws for tightening the safety measures. Children have always been vulnerable for sexual abuse in Latin America and Southeast Asia, for instance, street children often turn to prostitution as a last resort. Child sex tourisms involves huge monetary befits for the traffickers.
Nations Office of Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) recently stated that 79% of all global trafficking is for sexual exploitation, which is one of the fastest growing criminal activities in the world. The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimated that human traffickers generate an annual profit of an estimated US$32 billion from the buying and selling of victims. Child Sex tourism has left the humanitarian grounds perturbed and in shambles.
There have been many alluring factors for the rise in Child Sex Tourism. Here is a list of some of these:
Demand for sexual contact with children: As it may sound too tormenting and shocking, the global demand to have a sexual contact with children has by far been a major cause that has led to an increase in Child Sex tourism. Opportunistic individuals and organized criminals take advantage of the demand for child sex by generating a constant supply of vulnerable children. Therefore, these vulnerable children become the source for massive monetary gains for these opportunists.
Preferential Child users: The mental consciousness of some hideous individuals is on a level where they prefer maintaining a sexual contact with children. They prefer children for a sexual relationship and tremendously add to the demand for these children spoiling their fate forever.
Poverty: This is yet another contributing factor for the increase in Child Sex Tourism. Poor families often trade children to traffickers in order to support a living. The helplessness in this process becomes the enchanting factor for opportunists to fulfill their vicious motives. Trading children for money often becomes the last resort for their families and traffickers take undue advantage of that.
Pedophiles: Pedophilia is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children, generally age 11 years or younger. Pedophiles also contribute in the increasing demand for children available for sexual interests but are not the only factor to do so. It is one of the factors for increase in Child Sex Tourism.
The impact and consequences of child sex tourism are severe. That trauma has a negative impact on the child’s physical, mental and emotional health. Physical risks include poor health, unwanted pregnancies for girls and a greater likelihood of HIV infection among both male and female victims of child sex exploitation. Psychological trauma is far worse, relegating children to drug abuse and suicidal tendencies.
Summary
Child Sex Abuse is a hideous crime and combating it should be at a priority. It has become a source of vicious earning for the opportunists. It engraves a deep trauma for the victim for the rest of his/her life.
