Sex tourism

Sex tourism is travel to engage in sexual activity with prostitutes.

The World Tourism Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations, defines sex tourism as "trips organized from within the tourism sector, or from outside this sector but using its structures and networks, with the primary purpose of effecting a commercial sexual relationship by the tourist with residents at the destination".^[1]

While sex tourism can refer to a variety of commercial sexual activities, agencies and academics sometimes distinguish between adult sex tourism, child sex tourism and female sex tourism to refer to different kinds of sex tourism. Attractions for sex tourists can include reduced costs for services in the destination country, along with either legal prostitution or indifferent law enforcement and access to child prostitution.

General

Generally, an adult can travel and engage in a sexual activity with an adult prostitute, in similar circumstances as would apply to local prostitution. However, when the sexual activity involves child prostitution, is non-consensual or involves sex trafficking, it is generally illegal, both in the participating country and sometimes in the individual's home country.

Sex tourism includes domestic sex tourism, which is travel within the same country, or international sex tourism, which involves travel across national borders. It is a multibillion dollar industry that supports an international workforce estimated to number in the millions.^[2] Sex tourism benefits not only the sex industry but also the airline, taxi, restaurant and hotel industries.^[3] Human Rights organizations warn that sex tourism contributes to human trafficking and child prostitution.^[4]

Destinations

Several countries have become preferred destinations for sex tourists. These include Brazil,^[5][6] Costa Rica,^[7][8] Cuba,^[9][10] the Dominican Republic,^[11][12] Kenya,^[13] the Netherlands, the Philippines, Colombia, and Thailand.^[14]

Female sex tourism

Sex tourism by women also exists. The main destinations for female sex tourism are Brazil, Southern Europe (mainly Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Croatia, Montenegro and Spain), the Caribbean (led by Jamaica, Barbados and the Dominican Republic), parts of Africa (Tunisia, Gambia, Kenya^[15]) and parts of Asia (Indonesia,^[16] Thailand). Other destinations include Morocco, El Salvador, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Fiji ^[17]

Child sex tourism

Child sex tourism is a criminal (in most countries) multi-billion-dollar industry believed to involve as many as 2 million children around the world.^[18] In an effort to eradicate the practice, many countries have enacted laws to allow prosecution of its citizens for child abuse that occurs outside their home country, even if it is not against the law in the country where the child abuse took place, for example, the US Protect Act.^[19]

Some people travel to other countries to engage in sex with children. Child sex tourism has been closely linked to poverty.

Thailand, Cambodia, India, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico have been identified as countries where child sexual exploitation is prevalent.^[20] In Thailand, though the exact numbers are not known, it has been estimated that children make up 40% of prostitutes in the country.^[21] In Cambodia, it has been estimated that about a third of all prostitutes are under 18.^[22][23] In India, the federal police say that around 1.2 million children are believed to be involved in prostitution.^[24] Brazil is considered to have the worst child sex trafficking record, after Thailand.^[25]

UNICEF notes that sexual activity is often seen as a private matter, making communities reluctant to act and intervene in cases of sexual exploitation.^[26] These attitudes make children far more vulnerable to sexual exploitation. Most exploitation of children takes place as a result of their absorption into the adult sex trade where they are exploited by local people and sex tourists.^[26] The Internet provides an efficient global networking tool for individuals to share information on destinations and procurement.^[26]

In cases involving children, the U.S. has relatively strict domestic laws that hold accountable any American citizen or permanent resident of the U.S. who travels abroad for the purpose of engaging in illicit conduct with a minor.^[26] However, child pornography, sex tourism and human trafficking remain fast-growing industries.^[26] Rep. Chris Smith, R-NJ recently introduced H.R. 1623, the "International Megan's Law". Similar to the domestic Megan's Law, which provides for community notification when a sex offender is living in the area, H.R. 1623 would alert officials abroad when U.S. sex offenders intend to travel, and likewise encourage other countries to keep sex offender lists and to notify the U.S. when a known sex offender may be coming to the United States for sex tourism.^[26]

Academic study

University of Leicester sociologists studied this subject as part of a research project for the Economic and Social Research Council and End Child Prostitution and Trafficking campaign. The study included interviews with over 250 Caribbean sex tourists.^[27][28] Amongst their findings were:

• Preconceptions about race and gender influenced the tourists' opinions.
• Economically underdeveloped tourist-receiving countries are promoted as being culturally different so that (in the Western tourist's understanding) prostitution and traditional male domination of women have less stigma than similar practices might have in their home countries.

Opposition to sex tourism

Human rights organisations warn that sex tourism contributes to human trafficking and child prostitution.^[4] The U.N. opposes sex tourism citing health, social and cultural consequences for both tourist home countries and destination countries, especially in situations exploiting gender, age, social and economic inequalities in sex tourism destinations.^[1][29][30]

Documentaries

Film makers have been active at reporting on sex tourism. Documentary titles include:

• Falang: Behind Bangkok's Smile by Jordon Clark (2005), set in Thailand^[31]
• CBC series the Lens episode "Selling Sex in Heaven" (2005), set in the Philippines^[32]
• Channel 4 Cutting Edge episode "The Child Sex Trade" (2003), set in Romania and Italy^[33]
• Sex Tourism on Talking Points from Channel4.com^[34]
• Channel 4 My Boyfriend, the Sex Tourist (2007), looks at sex tourism around the world^[35]

Prostitution law across globe

See also

• Prostitution by country
• Legality of prostitution
• Cuban jineterismo
• Prostitution in Thailand
• Prostitution in India
• Prostitution in the Philippines

References