Offenders on the Move

The Global Study on Sexual Exploitation of Children in Travel and Tourism is the most thorough, up-to-date and authoritative look at the issue of sexual exploitation of children in many years. It was conceived as a report describing how and why children are vulnerable to traveling sex offenders, but its in-depth analysis goes beyond looking at travel and tourism links and provides a description of the environmental, community, personal, political, social and cultural considerations that make children vulnerable to exploitation. It shows how the ills of society like crime, poverty and corruption impact families and communities, and how those problems link directly to making children vulnerable to sexual exploitation.

The study’s analysis of power relations between children and adults and how exploiters are able to use the imbalance in power to their advantage is especially compelling. It points out how those power relations are embedded in different cultures; and while it may take a different form in different countries and different societies, the result is the same: the sexual exploitation of children is accepted, justified, ignored or facilitated by many people. This report states all of the ways that adults and adult society fails to protect children.

For more about ECPAT-USA's work preventing sexual exploitation of children in travel: www.ecpatusa.org/code