NCJ Number
166291
Date Published
1996
Length
24 pages
Annotation
Based on reporters' visits to 10 countries, this nine-part series in the Christian Science Monitor on the child sex trade examines the nature of the commercial sexual exploitation of children in these countries and how the governments are responding to it.
Abstract
In terms of number, adolescent girls are the most affected victims of sexual exploitation. In many countries, recruiters, who are often part of criminal organizations, use deception, force, or promises of high pay to bring girls into the sex trade. In many cases, parents agree to send their daughters into prostitution and accept advances on their earnings. Adolescent boys are also subject to commercial sexual exploitation. Homeless boys are often befriended by men seeking sex, which can lead into prostitution as a livelihood. Some poor countries have blamed visiting Westerners for child prostitution, but child advocates say that most children are exploited commercially by adults of their own nationality. Those looking for a strategy to counter the commercial sexual exploitation of children argue that a significant factor is male attitudes. Many Chinese men, for example, prize sexual encounters with virgins, and many men of diverse nationalities have sought out virgins and young sexual partners because they are believed to be free of HIV. Research into sex tourism shows that the Western men involved are sometimes driven by an attitude that links sexuality with their sense of identity. Strategies to counter the sexual exploitation of children have included national laws against sexual relations with minors anywhere in the world, sanctions against governments and tourism enterprises that promote sex tourism, public education campaigns against child sexual exploitation, social programs for homeless and runaway youth, and laws that allow women to sue their former pimps. The sexual exploitation of children on the Internet is also discussed, as are ways to counter it.