1M children victimized by child sex tourists yearly; DOT and partners spring into action

Over one million children are victims of commercial sexual exploitation around the world each year. The growing ease of travel, which has lured child-sex predators into less developed countries including the Philippines, has made children more vulnerable to this modern form of slavery.

Commercial sexual exploitation of children is one of the worst forms of child labor. This growing problem has prompted the Department of Tourism (DOT) to spearhead the Philippine leg of the Child Wise Tourism Program, heralded as world best-practice by the World Tourism Organisation (WTO). The ASEAN-wide education campaign is now being launched in Boracay, one of the country’s hotspots for child-sex tourists.

The program aims to stop child-sex tourists in their tracks by encouraging responsible tourists and local citizens to report suspicious behavior. Concerned individuals can turn child-sex tourists into ex-tourists by calling the PNP-WCPC hotline number 0919-777-7377 and providing details, all of which are held in the utmost privacy.

There have been many cases of child-sex tourists being convicted as a result of reports from individuals. Offenders can face sentences of up to 30 years in their own countries. Last March 2010, the Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Tourism (DOT) and UNICEF welcomed news that a predatory pedophile was sentenced to 20 years in prison in the United States for sexual abuse of two Filipino minors.

Donald Mathias, 64, subjected the girls then aged 11 and 12, to repeated sexual abuse during his visits to the Philippines in 2007 and 2008. With the mother’s help, Mathias made the girls sign a contract requiring them to be his “sex slaves”. The mother was paid thousands of dollars and assisted in filming Mathias committing the abusive acts.

“Travelling child-sex offenders present a significant and growing threat in South East Asia, including the Philippines. This long sentence sends a strong message that child sexual abuse and exploitation will not be tolerated in the Philippines. We commend the continuing cooperation between the Philippines and other governments around the world in their efforts,” said Director Ma. Victoria Jasmine, from Department of Tourism (DOT).

The Child Wise Tourism campaign sees the culmination of almost a decade of partnership between the Australian Government, Child Wise, and ASEAN countries to protect children. This partnership has resulted in initiatives to uphold children’s rights, including implementation of child protection laws, improved law enforcement, heightened monitoring and surveillance combined with police and tourism industry training.

Education campaign materials including billboards, stickers and posters among others will begin appearing in hotels, airlines, airports, internet cafes, travel agencies, taxis, Tourism offices, PNP offices, local government units in prime tourist destinations across the Philippines.

“Now at every turn, predators should beware that if they are travelling to have sex with children, everyone will be watching. Our message is clear. If the behavior of other tourists makes you feel uncomfortable: don’t turn away, turn them in to the authorities,” said Natalie McCauley, Chief of UNICEF’s Child Protection section.