Like all trades, the sex trade exists where there is a seller, merchandise and a client. The horror of child prostitution would therefore not exist if it were not for criminals that are pedophiles and other criminals that are procurers, for whom the child is only a piece of merchandise.

Sex tourism in which children are victims is a concrete demonstration of the extreme danger which this type of pedophile represents. Committing their crimes far from home, they therefore think that they are escaping from justice, and unfortunately this was true in the past.

An international conscience and action are indispensable so that no pedophile can put a border between himself and his crimes. The universal adoption of laws authorising the condemnation of every person guilty of sexual aggression against minors would be an important step.

Once this legal step has been taken, they will have no refuge; every country will be able to pursue any criminal of any nationality, even if the deeds they are accused of are committed in another country.

In the fight against child sexual exploitation, the commitment made and results obtained by our partner Interpol and its network of 187 members, notably in the VICO operation which was symbolic of this partnership, indeed demonstrates that a maniac who has been abusing children has no place to hide.

On another level, CyberDodo took the initiative in 2003 to make the world aware of sex tourism and the absolute need to respect the Rights of the Child by screening a video at the 3rd World Tourism and Travel Summit held in Portugal, which featured H.R.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco and the honourable UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Sergio Vieira de Mello.

For CyberDodo, a fundamental point of merit of this file is that it is addressed to each of us and most particularly travellers: we can and should all be protectors of children. When you are overseas, if you notice a dubious situation (indeed, it may be very serious) involving minors, do not hesitate to inform the police, the organiser of your trip, your embassy, etc of what you have seen.

Do not let these children be victims without acting, without reacting!

To denounce online abuses committed against children: Virtual Global Task Force

To see the cartoon on the fight against child prostitution click here

For the quiz, click here

© CyberDodo Productions

It is one of the most serious forms of aggression that can be perpetrated against a child, it’s a crime.

It is generally described as the use of a minor to satisfy the sexual needs of an adult, although unfortunately children are violated by other children, often older than their victims.

Prostitution features amongst all the forms of sexual exploitation, and is the topic of this file.

What is child prostitution?

It affects all humans aged less than 18 years old who are active in the sex trade, whether this practice is forced or chosen.

It is difficult to get precise figures; UNICEF estimates that more than 3 million children are affected by prostitution on all the continents and they represent, for example, more than a third of sex workers in Asia.

This phenomenon also affects rich countries, as an official report (CEOS) confirmed in 2001 that in the United States almost 300,000 children ran the risk of sexual exploitation classified as “commercial”.

What are the causes of child prostitution?

Although there are situations in which children (a Reminder, according to the United Nations International Convention on the Rights of the Child, all human beings aged less than 18 years are children) voluntarily prostitute themselves to satisfy their consumer needs (Outings, clothing, a car, etc.), for example, in Japan where this practice is called “Enjo kosai”, this motivation continues to be marginal.

The main cause of child prostitution is a common factor among the majority of scourges that affect children: poverty!

Many tragedies began when parents with no resources, who were poorly informed and not very educated, were unable to raise their children under acceptable conditions, so they voluntarily entrusted them to shady characters, who assured them that their children would be given the best opportunity of getting out of big cities, and even go overseas.

Cut off from their families, their friends and their identities, these children become easy prey for crime syndicates which exploited them by forcing them to become prostitutes.