sex tour

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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] 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][2][3]

While sex tourism can refer to a variety of commercial sexual activities, agencies and academics^[who?] sometimes also use the terms: adult sex tourism, child sex tourism and female sex tourism to refer to different kinds of sex tourism.^{[citation needed]} 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.

Destinations

Several countries have become preferred destinations for sex tourists. These include Thailand,^[4] Brazil,^[5][6] Sri Lanka,^[7][8][9] Dominican Republic,^[10][11] Costa Rica,^[12][13] Cuba,^[14][15] and Kenya,^[16]

An individual city or region can have a particular reputation as a sex tourist destination. Many of these coincide with major red-light districts, and include Amsterdam in the Netherlands; Zona Norte in Tijuana, Mexico; Boy's Town in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico; Fortaleza and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil; Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket in Thailand; Vladivostok in Russian Far East; Kherson, Odessa, Crimea in Ukraine; destination for Asian sex tourists ^[17], and Angeles City^[18], the site of a former United States military base in the province of Pampanga, Philippines.

In the United States, prostitution is largely illegal, with the exception of certain areas of the state of Nevada. (In Rhode Island prostitution was outlawed in 2009).

Conversely, prostitution is a legal activity in a number of other nations worldwide, including in many (but not all) of these destinations.

Adult sex tourism

Generally, it is not illegal for an adult to travel to 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.

Adult sex tourism includes domestic sex tourism, ie. travel within the same country. International adult sex tourism involves travel across national borders. It is a multibillion dollar industry that supports an international workforce estimated to number in the millions. ^[19] It has been argued by some people that adult sex tourism benefits not only the sex industry but also the airline, taxi, restaurant and hotel industries.^[20] Human Rights organizations warn that sex tourism contributes to human trafficking and child prostitution.^[21]

Female sex tourism

The main destinations for female sex tourists are Southern Europe (mainly Italy, Greece, Croatia , Turkey, Slovenia, Ukraine and Spain), the Caribbean (led by Jamaica, Barbados and the Dominican Republic), parts of Africa (Tunisia, Gambia, Kenya ^[22]), Bali,^[23] and Pattaya or Phuket in Thailand. Other destinations include Nepal, Morocco, Fiji, Ecuador and El Salvador.^[24]

An estimated 650,000 Western women have engaged in sex tourism from 1980 to the present, many of them as repeat customers.^[25] By some estimates, 80,000 North American and European women visit Jamaica every year for sex.^[26]

Child sex tourism

Child sex tourism is a criminal multi-billion-dollar industry believed to involve as many as 2 million children around the world.^[27] 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.

Past surveys indicate that 30 to 35 per cent of all sex workers in the Mekong sub-region of Southeast Asia are between 12 and 17 years of age. ^[28] Sex tourism targeting children creates huge monetary incentives for traffickers. Human trafficking is a worldwide tragedy impacting an estimated 1.2 million child victims.^[29] The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) recently stated that 79% of all global trafficking is for sexual exploitation, which is one of the fastest growing criminal activities in the world.^[30]

UNICEF notes that sexual activity is often seen as a private matter, making communities reluctant to act and intervene in cases of sexual exploitation.^[31] 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.^[32] The Internet provides an efficient global networking tool for individuals to share information on destinations and procurement.^[33]

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.^[34] However, child pornography, sex tourism and human trafficking remain fast-growing industries.^[35] Rep. Chris Smith, R-NJ recently introduced H.R. 1623, the International Megan's law. Similar to the domestic Megan's Law (named after Megan Kanka of New Jersey), 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.^[36] While there are serious problems with the current domestic sex offenders’ registry, human rights organizations such as ECPAT and UNICEF believe this would be a step in the right direction. ^[37]

Legal issues in the United States

Federal law (see PROTECT Act of 2003) prohibits United States citizens or permanent residents to engage in international travel with the purpose or effect of having commercial sex with a person under the age of 18, or any sex with a person under the age of 16; facilitating such travel is also illegal. Arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement are becoming common; however, prosecutions under this law are still very rare.

As of 2005, there has been one effort to prosecute a sex tour operator: Big Apple Oriental Tours of New York was prosecuted for "promotion of prostitution" by New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer (ironically, he himself was caught paying for sex with prostitutes and resigned.) After lobbying by feminist human rights groups, however, the case has been thrown out twice.

HR 972, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 reauthorizes the 2000 law, but it also gives U.S. law enforcement better tools to study human trafficking within the United States and to prosecute those who purchase sex acts. The measure authorizes $50 million for grants to state and local law enforcement to investigate and prosecute persons who engage in the purchase of commercial sex acts.^[38]

Legal issues in the United Kingdom

The Sexual Offences Act 2003 enables British citizens and residents who commit sexual offences against children overseas to be prosecuted in the UK.^[39] Some of the offences carry penalties of up to life imprisonment and anyone found guilty will be placed on the Sex Offenders Register. The UK police and the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre and Interpol are actively involved in monitoring child sex tourists and will prosecute where necessary.

Witnesses can report it to the local police, hotel manager, tour representative or tour operator. Witnesses can also call Crimestoppers when they return to the UK. A cash reward may be available.

Legal issues in Canada

Canada has included in its Criminal Code provisions that allow for the arrest and prosecution of Canadians in Canada for offences committed in foreign countries related to child sex tourism, such as child prostitution, as well as for child sexual exploitation offences, such as indecent acts, child pornography and incest. Convictions carry a penalty of up to 14 years' imprisonment.^[40]

Legal issues in Australia

It an offence for an Australian citizen or an Australian resident in a foreign country to engage in sexual intercourse or commit or submit to an act of indecency with a person under the age of 16, irrespective of whether the conduct would also be a criminal offence under the law of the foreign country (a situation which can arise where the local age of consent is lower than 16).^[41]

In 2005, approximately 20 pedophiles from Australia who attempted to travel to tsunami ravaged countries were stopped under the rules of the new Australian child sex offender register. The convicted offenders had to tell police of their plans to travel, and their travel details were sent by police to Indonesian and Thai authorities, who refused them entry. Child Wise director Bernadette McMenamin confirmed that authorities had known pedophiles would be targeting children in countries that had been hit by the tsunami.

She said it was well known that when countries experienced natural disasters or military crises pedophiles exploited the instability. "Post-tsunami we expected that a lot of Australian child sex offenders would target these countries," she said. Further plans to cancel passports of recidivist paedophiles to prevent child sex tourism in general, and exploitation of natural and political instability in countries targeted by sex tourists in particular, are in the works in Australia. ^[42]

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.^[43][44] Among their findings:

• Preconceptions about race and gender influenced their 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.

The study received heavy criticism as it failed to address female sex tourism. The phenomenon of cultural difference could equally apply to the prostitution of disadvantaged local males to rich western women. Thus, the whole interpretation of sex tourism as being dependent on male domination of women could actually be the domination of the rich over the poor of whatever sex. This is especially true in the Caribbean, which is well often consider a focal point for female sex tourism.

Documentaries

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

• Falang: Behind Bangkok's Smile by Jordon Clark (2005) (this title at the Internet Movie Database), set in Thailand
• CBC series the Lens episode "Selling Sex in Heaven" (2005) (this title at the Internet Movie Database), set in the Philippines.
• Channel 4 Cutting Edge episode "The Child Sex Trade" (2003),^[45] set in Romania, Italy
• Sex Tourism on Talking Points from Channel4.com^[46]
• Channel 4 My Boyfriend, the Sex Tourist (2007) (this title at the Internet Movie Database), looks at sex tourism around the world

See also

• ECPAT
• Cuban jiniterismo
• Prostitution in Thailand
• Prostitution in the Philippines
• Tourist apartheid
• Trafficking in human beings
• Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, Deena Guzder, "The Economics of Sexual Exploitation" http://pulitzercenter.typepad.com/untold_stories/2009/08/the-economics-of-commercial-sexual-exploitation-in-thailand.html#more

References