About

Child Sex
Exploitation
The Issue
A n e s t i mat e d 2 million girls a nd boys are enslaved in the global commercial
sex trade. An untold number of others are sexually abused in noncommercial settings. Most
cases are not reported. Many children are sold into prostitution to pay off family debts or
forcibly recruited on the street to work in brothels. Children as young as 5 are involved in this
heinous industry.

The Facts
A lt h o u g h c hildren from all social and economic backgrounds are at risk of sexual abuse,
those most vulnerable live in economically depressed situations. Street children are particularly
vulnerable because they have very few resources and networks to turn to for protection. Children
in poverty-stricken countries can be more vulnerable if their families are desperate for income.
Many are forced, coerced, or tricked into prostitution.

Gi r l s a n d b oys younger than 18, children living in poverty, street children, runaways,
children in vulnerable or marginalized situations, and children of all social and economic status are
vulnerable to sexual exploitation.
» In countries such as Lithuania, children as young as 11 are known to work as prostitutes.
» Children, some 10 to 12 years old, have been used to make pornographic movies.
» Girls as young as 13 (mainly from Asia and Eastern Europe) are trafficked as “mail-order”
brides.

A r e p r e h e n s ible pr a ctice known as trafficking is becoming increasingly common.

Children around the world are recruited, abducted, transported, and often sold through fraud,
and deception and then forced into slave-like conditions. Many are forced into prostitution, sexual
servitude, or child labor.
» Trafficking affects an estimated 1.2 million children per year, many of whom are trafficked
for commercial sexual exploitation.

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 » Child sex trafficking is a multibillion dollar industry.
» Thailand, Cambodia, India, and Brazil have some of the highest rates of commercial sexual
exploitation of children.
» In Mexico, more than 16,000 children are involved in prostitution.
» Worldwide, 40 percent to 47 percent of sexual assaults are perpetrated against girls age 15
and younger.

S e x ua l e x p l oitation of children occurs in various locations, including on

the streets, in brothels, in private homes, and in tourist facilities, such as hotels. The causes of
sexual exploitation are varied. Organized crime, corruption, lack of enforced laws, as well as
pornography and promotion of sex tours on the Internet all contribute to the commercial sexual
exploitation of children. Poverty, unemployment, drug and alcohol abuse, illiteracy, and lack
of education also perpetuate both commercial and noncommercial exploitation, as do cultural
customs that devalue women and girls.

Long-lasting physical, social, spiritual, and psychological damages are levied on these children.
They can suffer disease (including HIV), violence, abuse, drug addiction, unwanted pregnancy,
forced abortion, malnutrition, and social ostracism. They can be severely wounded, both physically
and emotionally, and almost all experience rejection by their families and communities in addition
to feeling fear, shame, and despair.

Child sex tourism, the practice of traveling to another country for the purpose of having sex with
children, exacerbates the commercial sex trade. Some sex tourists are pedophiles, specifically
seeking underage boys and girls. It is estimated that U.S. citizens account for 25 percent of child
sex tourists worldwide. Some Americans take advantage of prostituted children while traveling to
impoverished countries for business, tourism, and other legitimate reasons. Others travel abroad
specifically for sex tours.

Sex tourists travel to countries such as Cambodia, Thailand, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Brazil
expecting anonymity, low-cost prostitution, easily accessible children, and impunity from
prosecution. Notably, it is estimated that one-third of the prostitutes in Cambodia are children.

The United States has laws that prohibit sex with minors in other countries and has greatly
increased government efforts to combat this problem. Under the PROTECT Act of 2003, U.S.
citizens or residents who engage in sexual activity abroad with children younger than 18 can face
30 years in a U.S. prison. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is now actively investigating
American sex tourists abroad and making arrests.

(Sources: State of the World’s Children 2007, UNICEF; State of the World’s Children 2006, UNICEF; and
Factsheet: Child Trafficking, UNICEF, 2006.)

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What You Can Do
» Pray for people trying to assist these children. Pray for a transformation of the perpetrators
of this crime. Pray for protection and healing for children around the world who are abused,
exploited, and neglected.
» Advocate. Ask your senators and representative to push for an increase in resources to pros-
ecute U.S. citizens who sexually exploit children overseas.
» Report an American sex tourist. If you have information regarding a person who has sexu-
ally exploited a child, or suspect someone of child sex tourism, you can contact U.S. Immi-
gration and Customs Enforcement.
» Go to www.worldvisionresources.com to become a Child in Crisis Partner. For about $20 a
month, you can help one child escape a life of horror.
» Learn more about children who are sexually exploited at www.worldvisionresources.com
and click on “programs and events” for more information.

Copyright © 2009 by World Vision Inc., Mail Stop 321, P.O. Box 9716, Federal Way, WA 98063-9716,
253-815-3320, wvresources@worldvision.org. All rights reserved.

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 About World Vision
W o r l d V i s i o n i s a Christian relief, development, and advocacy organization dedicated to helping
children and their families break free from poverty. Our work is motivated by our faith in Jesus Christ. We see
a world where each child experiences “fullness of life” as described in John 10:10. And we know this can be
achieved only by addressing the problems of poverty and injustice in a holistic way. That’s how World Vision
is unique: We bring 60 years of experience in three key areas needed to help children and families thrive:
emergency relief, long-term development, and advocacy. And we bring all of our skills across many areas of
expertise to each community we work in, enabling us to care for children’s physical, social, emotional, and
spiritual well-being.

W o r l d V i s i o n Re s o u r c e s educates Christians about global poverty, inspires them to social justice,

and equips them with innovative resources to make a difference in the world. By developing biblically based
materials for educators and ministry leaders on the causes and consequences of global poverty, World Vision
Resources supports the organizational mandate to move the church in the United States to more fully embrace
its biblical responsibility to serve the poor.

For more information about

our resources, contact:

World Vision Resources

www.worldvision.org
wvresources@worldvision.org

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