World must do more to stamp out sex tourism
The Universe
(July 04, 2004)
The commercial sexual
exploitation of children is growing at enormous proportions around the
world.
Conservative estimates are that of the 20 billion dollars generated by
prostitution worldwide, more than 5 billion annually comes from child
prostitution. It has been estimated that one million children are
victimized by the sex tourist industry every year.
The tourist industry has taken the wrong turn playing down the growing
sex tourism industry especially when so many children are abused. They
have to face reality that this policy of see no evil hear no evil is
only going to damage good clean international tourism.
The Pontifical Council for the Pastoral care of Migrants and Itinerant
People will hold the 6th World Congress on the Pastoral Care of Tourism
in Bangkok Thailand the first weekly of July. I have been invited by the
President of the Pontifical Council Stephen Fumio Cardinal Hamao to
preside over a round table conference on the economic exploitation for
sexual motives caused by tourism.
The congress will be address by Cardinal Hamao and Dr. Francisco
Franglais the secretary General of the World Tourism Organization.
I hope that he will address the terrible reality and not so dark secret
behind the tourism industry - the exploitation of children.
The little we do doesn't make much of an impact but we hope the Church
World congress in Bangkok is an opportunity to plead with the church
agencies and dioceses everywhere to take this much more seriously.
Trafficking of women and children goes on in so many places that no
official can say it doesn't happen in their diocese. The days of denial
and cover up of sex abuse of children are over, we hope.
Every person of conscience can and must do something to stop the abuse
of children. Every responsible tourist can report abuse if they see it
when on holiday.
A tourist tipped us off recently about a suspected British serial child
abuser and pornographer who allegedly abused children and video taped
his crimes. Journey away.
The police said they had no money to go to Puerto Galera to arrest the
suspect. The PREDA agreed to pay all their expenses. Instead of just two
police officers five rushed to join for a paid joy ride. The suspectıs
was finally arrested and handcuffed.
However, the charges had been reduced again by the prosecutor and he was
able to pay bail and walked away.
These are the difficulties we have in protecting children and bringing
the sex tourist to trial. This work needs the support of the public and
politicians we can only hope the church congress in Bangkok next month
can mobilize help too.
Fr. Shay Cullen is a Columban missionary: PREDA Centre,
Kalaklan, Olongapo City. www.preda.org
