Posted on 04/19/2002 6:05:29 AM PDT by Vigilant1
April 18, 2002 07:05 PM ET
LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists called on Friday for an international campaign to curb the growing number of children, some as young as 10 years old, who are forced into prostitution.
An estimated 10 million children worldwide are already involved in the $20 billion-a-year sex industry and the number is growing by about one million each year.
"The prostitution of children and related health consequences have been accepted for too long. The time has come to make them unacceptable," said Dr. Barry Levy of Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston.
Writing in The Lancet medical journal, Levy and Brian Willis, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, called for a co-ordinated global campaign to provide services for exploited children until they can be removed from prostitution, and recovery and reintegration programs after they are.
"We propose that health professionals collaborate with non-government organizations (NGOs), governments and UN agencies to establish an International Campaign to Prevent Child Prostitution, akin to the successful International Campaign to Ban Land mines," Levy added.
The scientists said young boys and girls were exploited by pedophiles and foreign tourists and deprived of their basic human rights. They face an increased risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS.
They estimate that 2.5 million child prostitutes will be assaulted each year and an equal number will be raped. Seven thousand will be murdered and 1.6 million will attempt suicide.
More than six million child prostitutes will suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and one million prostituted girls will have an abortion.
The scientists said global co-ordination and implementation at national, regional and community levels were required to combat the problem.
Hundreds of thousands of children in India, Thailand and the United States are exploited through prostitution, according to figures from the pressure group ECPAT-USA (End Child Prostitution, Pornography and Trafficking).
It is also a serious problem in Brazil, China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Zambia and to a lesser extent in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal and Vietnam.
"Poverty and the profitability of prostitution are the main factors that sustain this industry. The sex industry worldwide generates an estimated $20 billion or more yearly, of which $5 billion is attributable to child prostitution," said Levy.
Furthermore, what is acceptable in third world countries, is not necessarily acceptable in this country. This smacks of UN NGO, and an attempt at some mileage, attempting to link the USA in with other countries where this stuff is acceptable. My remarks are related to prostitution, not the proliferation of child porn where the USA might be a large producer and consumer. I say might, because I do not have evidence.
I am not sure if you are serious because I know you dont agree with the SC decision or that you are being sarcastic because of your disagreement with the decision.
But just incase your serious, please explain to us how the SCOTUS's decision on a US law will have an impact on the prostitution of children in foreign lands.
Yes, it happens in the US but it is illegal and still remains illegal regardless of the SC ruling.
Child prostitution is appalling and should be stamped out.
That said, does anybody find the above statistic questionable? One quarter of all sex industry revenue comes from children ???
Even where illegal, government corruption and the lack of personal, familial impact blunts any enforcement attempts.
The drug and AIDs situations make a large contribution to the problem. Children of drug addicted families and those orphaned by AIDS are particularily vunerable.
Sex tourism and the great profits to be earned there draw Japanese and Western money. To be successful, penalties for the consumers are essential.
Real capitalism and the accompanying economic development reduces the "supply" of children. Today, in Thailand, many of the children are Lao, Khmer, and Burmese.
My own addition would be a death penalty for the pimps / brothel owners.
(A personal note: My wife is from the North of Thailand and a graduate of a Christian university there. We spent 2 or 3 months there each year. Staying where we do, we seldom encounter anything of the sex industry. What we do see is almost as disturbing. In Bangkok, sleasebag "Fagens" have armies of very small children they put to begging on the street. They are mostly 5 years old or under and many are clearly sick, some with AIDs. Open sores make them more likely to earn the adult more money by the sympathy of the people. There are activists, both Christian and Buddhist, but they need the ear of government and more funds. I doubt that the current government will listen though.)
It is not all that uncommon for teenage runaways in the US to turn to prostitution to support themselves. By their definitions, a 17-year-old hooker is a "child prostitute". Much like a 17-year-old gang member shot over a bad drug deal is a "child killed by gunfire"
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