Rising levels of poverty around the world appear to directly correlate to increasing numbers of children caught up in sex trafficking, especially in Southeast Asia, according to reports.
“The recent economic downturn is set to drive more vulnerable children and young people to be exploited by the global sex trade,” said Carmen Madrinan, executive director of End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual purposes (ECPAT).
According to a recent report by the group, increasing poverty, reduced budgets for social services, and restrictive immigration laws in “destination countries” (which encourage children to avoid detection) are among the factors heightening children’s vulnerability.
Added to that, deteriorating household living conditions often compel young people to abandon school to contribute to the family income, exposing them to risk as they seek livelihood options that could result in exploitation, the report states.
UNICEF surveys indicate that 30 to 35 percent of all sex workers in the Mekong sub-region of Southeast Asia are between 12 and 17 years old. Earlier this year, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) stated in its Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2009 that 79 percent of all global trafficking is for sexual exploitation, one of the world’s fastest-growing criminal activities.
The report said the proportion of minors involved in various forms of human trafficking increased from about 15 percent to nearly 22 percent between 2003 and 2007.
Tags: child prostitution, ECPAT, sex trafficking, UNICEF
Posted on Wednesday, September 30th, 2009 at 8:12 am in Human Trafficking, News, Slavery Today.
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The on-going problem of children being sold into prostituion is horrifying. This is so wrong to be selling children into this “slavery” of sorts. Just imagine being bon into poverty and the one thing you have, their family, is selling them into this. “UNICEF surveys indicate that 30 to 35 percent of all sex workers in the Mekong sub-region of Southeast Asia are between 12 and 17 years old.” This killed me the most, thinking of my sisters and little cusins being enslaved for the greed of people. And the sure addiction to money and sex.