Global recession fuels child sex boom.
Increasing poverty in children’s countries of origin and smaller budgets for social services are two of the factors heightening children’s vulnerability. Deterioration of living conditions often compels young people to abandon school in order to contribute to the family income, putting them at risk of seeking livelihood options that lead to their being exploited, according to ECPAT International.
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ECPAT International’s recent report also warned that the number of children and young people trafficked within their own country is increasing. Such trafficking frequently involves movement from rural to urban areas or from one city or town to another without the need for travel documentation.
Muslim country bonus fact: The International Labor Organization says sex tourism contributes as much as 14 percent of the gross domestic product of Indonesia and Malaysia. The real question is would more conservative, religion-based governance better confront the problem with harsher policies, or make it worse as puritanical attitudes turn the victims into untouchable wretches and scapegoat them for the crimes of their victimizers?
America doesn’t seem to be doing any better at coming up with just solutions:
See an interview with the girl here. The judge had little choice because of California’s harsh mandatory sentencing guidelines. His options were life without possibility of parole, or 25 to life.