GENEVA – The United Nations says India, Cambodia and Thailand have not done enough to protect children against the risks associated with sex tourism for fear of damaging their economies.
The UN’s special rapporteur on the rights of children, Juan Miguel Petit, says there is a lot of pressure on governments to turn a blind eye to the issue of children’s sexual exploitation for tourists’ benefit.
“Sometimes there are big pressures on governments, explicitly or implicitly, when there are enormous touristic activities going on, making millions of dollars,” Petit told AFP.
“Some interests see the limitation on the sexual market as a limitation for their earning of money.”
He says police in these countries often appear unconcerned about the scale and gravity of the problem.
“They accept this kind of crime in a passive way, as if their job was only to chase bank robbers,” he said.
