Fighting child sex tourism, one baby step at a time

The sentencing of Kenneth Klassen of Burnaby, B.C., for committing sex tourism with children and importing child pornography is yet another little reason for children’s rights activists to celebrate. Earlier Wednesday, the 59-year-old Canadian man who admitted to having sex with young girls in Columbia and Cambodia was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

And it’s about time!

Klassen exemplifies an ever increasing number of travelers who take opportunistic advantage of the desperately poor and vulnerable children in foreign [mostly developing] countries. These tourists exercise classic predatory behaviour, exploiting weaknesses in the enforcement of laws surrounding “child sex tourism”.

Experts estimate that more than one million children around the world, some as young as five years old, are lured or sold into the sex trade each year, often as a result of extreme poverty. Many of these children are either sold into prostitution to support families, pay off family debts, or are forcibly recruited to work in brothels.

At some point during his trial, Klassen unsuccessfully challenged Canada's sex tourism law, arguing that the incidents happened in other countries where Canadian courts have no jurisdiction. He was wrong.

Canada’s Criminal Code specifically prohibits child sex tourism. In 1997, Canada passed legislation that extraterritorially extended the criminal code to enable prosecution of Canadians for a number of sexual crimes committed against children in foreign jurisdictions. Although Klassen’s sentencing is only the fourth such conviction under this law, it is nonetheless the toughest sentence handed down yet.

Around the world, many other countries have passed similar child sex tourism laws.

Similarly, in 1989, the United Nations adopted the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child [CRC], the first legally binding international agreement that protects children from sexual abuse and exploitation. The CRC has been ratified by 191 countries including Canada.

With such seemingly protective measures in place, why then are so many children still being exploited?

Although, arresting and prosecuting such offenders should be lauded, it’s definitely not enough. While Klassen and other international “sex tourists” significantly contribute into these skewed sexual relations with children, local populations are also to blame for supplying the “industry”. Many local and national governments also remain lenient to such crimes, often turning a blind eye to this immoral act, particularly in places where sexual exploitation is deemed lucrative by family members and the tourism industry in general.

Unquestionably each country has a right to exercise their sovereignty but it’s not enough to simply ratify the CRC. There is need for workable measures to pressure national governments to enforce existing laws to further protect children. The tourism industry, local communities and child protection agencies should all work together for better results.

This way when time comes for that much-needed vacation, it will be to get warm, discover new locations and experience different cultures, as opposed to taking part in the morally reprehensible and illegal act of child sex tourism.