Sex trade claiming more children in East Asia and Pacific, UN delegates say

November 11, 2004

Bangkok - More and more children are entering the sex trade in East Asia and the Pacific, with exploiters using the Internet and mobile phones equipped with cameras to lure minors, child rights advocates said Wednesday.

Senior officials and representatives from 23 countries ended three days of talks Wednesday in Bangkok aimed at evaluating efforts to fight child prostitution in the region.

"It is commonly agreed that, tragically, the situation in some cases is graver than it was before," said Denise Ritchie, New Zealand representative of the watchdog group ECPAT, or End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes.

"In other words, there are more and more children than ever who have been coerced or enslaved in the sex trade," she told a news conference.

In recent years, the trade has spread, particularly in the South Pacific, through growing tourism and fishing industries, delegates said. They also noted that technology such as the Internet and mobile phones with cameras were being used to exploit children.

Officials at the UN-hosted meeting agreed to fight the sexual exploitation of children by trying to change attitudes, behaviour and cultural practices.

But stronger participation by governments and implementation of child protection laws are still needed, delegates said.

The meeting included representatives from Australia, Cambodia, China, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, the Solomon Islands, Thailand, Timor Leste, Vanuatu and Vietnam.

Copyright 1999-2004, Asian Sex Gazette.  All rights reserved.  No content may be reproduced in whole or part without written permission.  Please contact us via the link below for re-print and syndication policies.

Asian countries report on progress in fighting child sexual exploitation – UNICEF
11-11-2004