CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING

It is saddening; to think of a child being sold for prostitution because someone has to earn a living. This only goes to show how ruthless the world has become.

 It only shows how thankless the world is. A child is a gift from God that is supposed to be appreciated and guarded jealously.

According to the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) of the United States department of Justice on its website, Sex tourism is a very lucrative industry that spans the globe.

It further says in 1998, the International Labour Organisation reported it’s calculation that 2-14 per cent of the gross domestic product of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Phillipines, and Thailand derives from sex tourism. In addition while Asian countries, including Thailand, India, the Phillipines, have long been prime destinations for child-sex tourists, in recent years, tourists have increasingly travelled to Mexico and Central America for their sexual exploits as well.

I thought to myself, what kind of person can honestly do that to a child? It’s only in the animal kingdom where reasoning is not expected. But to think of a human being with five senses, of touch, taste, hearing, feeling, oh, especially feeling, deserves  to be caged and keys thrown away.

There are so many things that a person can do to earn a living than selling an innocent child to such a vice. The more I think about it, the more I feel like throwing up, because I can’t imagine my child or late alone my sister’s or my neighbours child being involved in such an inhumane act.

CEOS further says that the most significant societal factor that pushes children into prostitution is poverty. Many nations with thriving sex tourism industries are nations that suffer from widespread poverty resulting from turbulent politic and unstable economies. Poverty often correlates with illiteracy, limited employment opportunities, and bleak financial circumstances for families.

It is saddening that some families would resort to engage children in prostitution instead of finding means of getting an education. I think it is not right for parents however poor they are to allow their children to engage in prostitution.

A child needs to enjoy his/her freedom. The rights of children should be protected by those looking after them.

With the advent of the internet, children become easy prey of the child traffickers. There are so many sites that are solely created to entice unsuspecting teenagers.  Especially on social networking sites such as Facebook, mixit, the least is endless.

When it comes to the internet parents should be weary on what their children are getting up to whilst on the internet.

‘’The lives of child prostitutes are almost too appalling to confront. Prostitutes serve between two and thirty clients per week, leading to a shocking estimated base of anywhere between 100 to 1500 clients per year, per child. Younger children, many below the age of 10, have been increasingly drawn into serving tourists,’’ it read in part.

The CEOS further says that child prostitutes live in constant fear; they live in sadistic acts by clients, fear of being beaten by pimps who control the sex trade, and fear of being apprehended by the police.

It also says that it comes as no surprise that victims often suffer from depression, low self-esteem, and feeling of hopelessness.

‘’Many children that fail to earn enough money are punished severely, often through beatings and starvation. Sadly, drug use and suicide are all too common for victims of child sexual exploitation,’’ it said.

In my opinion children need to be cared for and loved and protected from any kind of danger.

 When I read these findings of the CEOS I was filled with pain and anger. But the onus is on everyone, to look out for a child even if the child is not yours. Will we let some evil people to continue abusing children’s rights? I don’t think so, if you suspect anyone, report them to the relevant authority.