child sex tourism Archives - Shared Hope International

April 18, 2012 by Guest

Recent Secret Service Scandal Raises Awareness of Sex Tourism

Recently thrust into the media due to the less-than-honorable actions of some members of President Obama’s Secret Service team, sex tourism has risen to the attention of the global community. Sex tourism, defined as traveling to a domestic or international location with the purpose of purchasing sex, has become a multi-billion dollar industry with some seriously questionable repercussions.
One such repercussion is the proliferation of sex trafficking. Sex tourism increases the demand for commercial sex, enticing traffickers to force women and children into the market to satisfy this demand. This leads to child sex tourism, which is defined as traveling to a location with the purpose of engaging in sex with a minor. Although this commercially-facilitated form of child abuse is known to occur in countries with a weak economic structure, it also occurs in the United States on a regular basis.

For example, Las Vegas is a hub for sex tourism, and thus sex trafficking is extremely common. In a 2008 study performed by Shared Hope, over 400 prostituted children were found in Las Vegas in just one month. Efforts to curb child sex trafficking have made some progress, but the problem continues to plague the area. Fortunately, law enforcement agencies are aware of the strong presence of sex trafficking and tourism in Las Vegas, and are developing measures in similar areas in their communities with the potential to become a hub for sex trafficking. For example, Hollywood Casino Toledo is slated to open in Toledo, Ohio this June, so local law enforcement officers are being trained to identify and address sex trafficking.

Countries with a weak economic structure are popular destinations for sex tourism because buyers can purchase comparatively less expensive sexual services with exotic women, men and/or children, with greater anonymity than if purchasing in their home country. A prime example is India. According to the 2011 Trafficking in Persons Report, “Religious pilgrimage centers and cities popular for tourism continue to be vulnerable to child sex tourism. Indian nationals engage in child sex tourism within the country and, to a lesser extent, in other countries.” Essentially, Indian children are being trafficked in India to provide domestic and international tourists with sex, and Indian adults also travel to other countries to engage in sex with minors.

All forms of sex tourism fuel global sex trafficking. Although the U.S. Secret Service members’ alleged sexual engagement involved adults, their actions are driving the sex tourism industry, thus promoting the brutal commercial sexual exploitation of women and children in the region and around the world.

June 22, 2011 by Guest

Global effort takes a step forward: Delta and Hilton sign the Code of Conduct

On March 9, 2011, Delta Air Lines was the first major airline in the world to sign the Code of Conduct. A month later, on April 14, Hilton Worldwide Inc., the leading global hospitality company, became the latest hotel company to take a strong stand against the issue by also signing the Code of Conduct. Hilton Worldwide is the fourth U.S. company and one of nearly 1,000 travel industry members worldwide that joined the effort to combat commercial sexual exploitation of children by committing to the Code.

Commercial sexual exploitation of children is a serious, hideous crime occurring every day throughout the world and there is an urgent need for global efforts to eradicate the issue. The Code of Conduct is one of such efforts taken by ECPAT (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes), an organization dedicated to ending the commercial sexual exploitation of children.

The Code of Conduct, known as the Code, was initiated in 1998 by ECPAT Sweden in cooperation with Scandinavian tour operators and the World Tourism Organization (WTO). The Code aims to prevent sexual exploitation of children at tourism destinations. By joining/signing the Code, tour operators and their umbrella organizations, travel agencies, hotels, airlines, etc. commit to implement the measures defined in the Code. As part of their agreement, all participating companies will implement policies that condemn child trafficking and exploitation and provide training to help employees identify and report illicit activities.

Child sex tourism is one of many forms of child exploitation and abuse. The majority of sex tourists are adult males from more industrialized countries. They travel to lesser developed countries where laws are often not enforced and sex is relatively cheap and readily available. The U.S. is one of the major source countries of sex tourists, as well as Japan and Australia. Child sex tourism is especially prevalent in Asia and Central and South America – Thailand, Cambodia, and Costa Rica are among the most popular sex tourist destinations. A recent report shows that Americans make up an estimated 25% of all sex tourists in the world. The global sex industry is fueled by nearly two million children. Also, 80% of the sex tourists in Costa Rica and 38% in Cambodia are American males.

Although child sex tourism is more prevalent in lesser developed countries, tourists from almost every country in the world finance the sex industry and fuel the demand for young children. The steps taken by globally renowned companies such as Delta Air Lines and Hilton Worldwide, Inc. are a significant advancement in bringing more awareness to the issue.