Shame of Ireland's Child Sex Tourists
I'm on your trail, warns Father Shay
CHILD sex slave saviour Father Shay Cullen has issued
a stark warning to Irish holiday pervs: “Stay away or I'll have you jailed.”
The courageous Dublin priest has devoted his-life to
rescuing abused youngsters from sordid Filipino vice dens.
And in a bid to stem the ever increasing numbers of
Irish sex tourists pouring in to the Philippines, he has vowed to trail
suspected perverts from the moment their plane lands to the second they
leave.
Fr- Shay explained: "It used to be American
businessmen or soldiers. But
now it's Irish men as well.
Cheap
"They're coming in droves because it's so easy and
cheap to buy child sex here.”
The missionary, who says he sees dozens of Irish sex
tourists arrive every month, added: “They better watch out.
I'm on their trail as soon as they touch down in the country.”
The tough, children's rights campaigner has been a
thorn in the side of the Filipino sex industry for more than 30 years.
During that time, he has provided a refuge for hundreds of abused girls in his PREDA foundation shelter - and helped police to jail scores of perverts. The Glenageary cleric's tireless campaigning also led to the Dail introducing the landmark Child Trafficking and Pornography Act in 1998.
The vital legislation is what was used to nail shamed
celebrity chef Tim Allen, below, last week for possessing nearly 1,000
computer images of child porn.
In the first conviction of its kind in Ireland, he
was ordered to carry out 240 hours of community service in lieu of a
nine-month prison term and pay
(Euro) 40,000 to a Calcutta kids' charity.
Fr Shay, who a been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize
THREE times, has also succeeded in getting crucial nti-child sex legislation
introduced in Austria, Sweden, Australia and the UK.
But back in the Philippines - where 40 per cent of
the 77 million population live below the poverty line – a long-term solution
to the child sex slave trade is hard to achieve.
It is estimated that a staggering 100,000 children
are forced to work as prostitutes.
Pimps steer malnourished little girls from darkened
alleys to sell to sick foreign thrill-seekers.
Sordid pictures of many of the kids are also
downloaded on to the internet.
And many of the Manila pubs are fronts for vice dens
where kids are on sale instead of beer and bar snacks.
Fr. Shay said: "These child sex slaves are selected
just items on the menu. Young flesh is and so easy to buy.
"The sex tourism trade is a billion dollar industry.
Children as young as nine are dragged into this evil web to escape the
poverty trap."
Fr Shay, who has been fighting the child sex trade
since his ordination in 1969, believes that most paedophiles cannot be
cured.
“Judges can send them into clinics all they like but
most will stay te sae.” He said.
“Statistics show that only two or three percent will
be completely rehabilitated and
not reoffend.
In light of the grim statistics, Fr. Shay believes
penalties need to be tougher, especially for perverts caught with internet
porn.
Evil
He explained: “If somebody is charged with possessing
child porn images, he may as well have been abusing the child himself.
“He creates a market for the pictures. I see no
difference myself. People who download porn are aiding and abetting the evil
men who abuse the children.”
Fr. Shay belongs to the Columban Missionary Society,
which is dedicated to spreading justice and peace across the world.
It was set up in China in 1918 by Irish visionary
Bishop Edward Galvin.
The order got its names from 6th century
Celtic monk who re0evangelized Europe. Bishop Galvin thought his followers
should St Columban’s example.
Their work can often be demoralising.
Yet, despite the awful abuse Fr. Shay sees, he says
he feels blessed to have been able to rescue so many youngsters and place
them on the path to a better life.
“I think of theses kids and I feel how privileged my
life has been,” he said.
Helpless
“They have been brainwashed and can’t imagine any
other life because this is all they ever done. Their minds have been turned
inside out.
“People don’t realise the devastating nature of the
porn industry. It ravages the lives of millions of helpless children
throughout the world.”
EXCLUSIVE
BY: SENAN HOGAN
