Africa’s weak laws regulating sexual exploitation in tourism and travel are turning the continent into a “new frontier for child sexual exploitation”.
A study by the African Child Policy Forum sheds light on the continued rise of child sexual exploitation including new forms such as ‘tourism marriages’ and cybersex.
The travel and tourism sector is facilitating “sexual services” involving children within entertainment amenities, the report found, citing the rise of massage parlours and upscale restaurants targeted at foreign customers in Africa.
One of the authors of the report Shimelis Tsegaye, says many children are unsafe even within their own homes.
“Very few African countries have laws criminalising online sexual crimes, and those that do frequently fail to enforce them adequately," Mr Tsegaye said.