Country Child Prostitution and Pornography Afghanistan GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Children as young as eight and nine years old have been reported to be in prostitution in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Taliban's law drives women to suicide", 27 May 1998, Julian West) Albania NATIONAL STATISTICS * More than 2,000 children between the ages of 13 and 18 are involved in prostitution rings. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001 citing CRCA) * A large number of children, as many as 4,000, work as child prostitutes in Greece. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001 citing CRCA) * Official Italian statistics reveal that there are approximately 900 child prostitutes in Italy being trafficked from Albania. (CRCA, The Vicious Circle, 2000) * Of the 1,880 to 2,500 minors who worked as street prostitutes in Italy, 1,500-2,300 had been trafficked predominantly from Albania, and Nigeria. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * More than 8,000 Albanian girls are prostituted in Italy, and more than 30% of them are under 18. (CATW Fact Book, citing G.J. Koja, "8000 Albanian Girls Work as Prostitutes in Italy", HURINet, 25 July 1998) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Many Albanian girls are used as prostitutes on the roads of Greece and Italy. (CRCA, The Vicious Circle, 2000) * Girls are forced into prostitution. (CRCA, The Vicious Circle, 2000) * There are reports of increasing child prostitution. (ECPAT Newsletter, May 1999) * In Greece, more than 40% of the minors in prostitution are from neighbouring or regional countries, including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Albania and Iraq, which are suffering from conflicts and lack of social cohesion. (ECPAT International, A Step Forward, 1999) * Child traffickers lure family members to sell children, who are forced to work as prostitutes. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Criminals kidnap children from families or orphanages to be sold for prostitution or pederasty rings abroad. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Recent reports from the refugee camps of Albania tell of the frequent disappearances of young women and girls from the refugee camps. It appears that these girls are being trafficked for sexual purposes to Western Europe by criminal gangs. (ECPAT International, A Step Forward, 1999) Algeria GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * In Algeria, like most of Africa, child prostitution is increasing. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * In the cities and the tourist areas, increase in tourism is related to the growth of commercial sexual exploitation of children. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * Not only girls, but also boys that work as vendors, couriers or domestic helps, are vulnerable to sexual exploitation in the cities. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) Andorra - Angola LOCAL STATISTICS * 3,000 children under the age of 18 are involved in prostitution for survival. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * An international NGO that works with street children estimated that there are 500 to 1,000 underage prostitutes in Luanda. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * 5,000 children are sold for sex on the streets of the Angolan capital Luanda. (June Kane, Sold for Sex, Aren Ashgate Publising Limited Gower House, 1998) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * The commercial sexual exploitation in the country, especially child prostitution is on the increase. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp citing Defence for Children International, Angola Section) * Sexual exploitation of children by military groups, street children earning their living through prostitution, and the numbers of foreign men exploiting Angolan minors are on the rise in the country. (ECPAT International, A Step Forward, 1999) * Unconfirmed reports dating back to 1998 state that the number of underage girls in prostitution in Angola is increasing. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) Antigua and Barbuda - Argentina GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * The number of prostituted children are reported to be increasing at an alarming rate and their average age is decreasing. (ECPAT International, A Step Forward, 1999) * The Directorate of Migration of the Dominican Republic estimates that there are approximately 400 rings of alien smugglers and purveyors of false documents operating within the country. These individuals profit by facilitating the trafficking of women to Spain, Netherlands and Argentina under false pretenses, for purposes of prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Argentina has a well-documented child sex trade related with the thriving sex-tourism sector. (June Kane, Sold for Sex, Aren Ashgate Publising Limited Gower House, 1998) * Argentina is one of the favoured destinations of paedophile sex tourists from Europe and the United States. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Global law to punish sex tourists sought by Britain and EU", The Indian Express, 21 November 1997). * Child victims of prostitution are present in large numbers. (US Dept of Labor, Prostitution of Children, 1996) Armenia GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * There were reports that older girls in local orphanages were approached with offer to engage in prostitution, either locally or abroad. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * In Greece, more than 40% of the minors in prostitution are from neighbouring or regional countries, including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Albania and Iraq which are suffering from conflicts and lack of social cohesion. (ECPAT International, A Step Forward, 1999) * Armenian women work as prostitutes in the Middle East, and there have been reports of trafficking in women and girls in the past. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Australia NATIONAL STATISTICS * There are 3,000 children, some younger than 10, in the Australian sex industry, which includes brothels, escort work, street prostitution, pornography, sex for favours and stripping.(ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * 3,733 children under the age of 18 are engaged in commercial sexual activities. Most were from the state of Victoria, followed by New South Wales and south Australia. ('Children sell their bodies to survive', AFP, 11 November, 1999, citing International Save the Children Alliance, Children's Rights: Reality or Rhetoric?, 1999) * 59 of 2,992 prostitutes studied for a report conducted by ECPAT were between 10 and 12 years old. 15 were under 10 years old. Two-thirds were girls. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * More than 3,100 Australian children aged 12-18 sold sex to survive. (CATW Fact Book, citing Sarah Hudson, "Child sex soaring", Herald Sun, 30 September 1998) * It was recently acknowledged that paedophilia is a serious problem in Australia. The Blue Room, an Internet bulletin board had 60% of its messages about child pornography. There were more than 450 subscribers, more than 100 in Australia. (CATW Fact Book, citing Paul Robinson, "Internet use by abusers ring, say investigators", The Age, 14 September 1997) * A report has identified 5,000 paedophiles who sexually abuse minors and traffic in child pornography operating in loose networks across Australia. They are linked to international paedophile groups including the Spartacus Club, the Marlin Coasters and the Orchid Club. 30,000 girls and 11,000 boys are sexually abused in Australia each year. (CATW Fact Book, citing Paul Robinson, "Warning on child sex ring:, The Age, 14 September, 1997, citing National Crime Authority Operation Bodega Report, Victoria Child-Protection Unit) LOCAL STATISTICS * More than 1,200 Victorian children are involved in prostitution - the highest rate in the nation. (CATW Fact Book, citing Sarah Hudson, "Child sex soaring", Herald Sun, 30 September 1998) * 320 Queensland children were involved in child prostitution. (CATW Fact Book, citing Sarah Hudson, "Child sex soaring", Herald Sun, 30 September, 1998) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * The Philippines, Thailand, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Hong Kong are some of the primary Asian destinations for organised sex tours from Australia. Indonesia and Taiwan are secondary destinations. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * Malaysian women are trafficked for sexual purposes mostly to Singapore, Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwanas well as to Japan, Australia, Canada, and the United States. (US Dept of State, Human Rights Report, 1999) * Children younger than 10 were involved in organised paedophile rings. (CATW Fact Book, citing Sarah Hudson, "Child sex soaring", Herald Sun, 30 September 1998) * Many Thai girls mostly in early teens, have been reported at various times in brothels in Sydney, Australia. ("Survival the name of the game", Bangkok Post, 3 July 1998) * Particularly in Canberra, Victoria and Queensland, Asian women are to be found in prostitution. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) Austria ADULT STATISTICS * There are 4,000-5,000 illegal foreign prostitutes, approximately 80% of the total number of prostitutes, in Vienna. (CATW Fact Book, citing European Race Audit Bulletin, 25 November 1997, citing Maximilian Edelbacher, Major Crime Bureau of the Federal Police of Austria) * In Vienna, in 1990 there were 800 registered prostitutes and about 2,800 illegal prostitutes. By 1995, the number of registered prostitutes had declined to 670, but the number of illegal prostitutes had climbed to 4,300. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Trafficking in Women to Austria for Sexual Exploitation", IOM and the Austrian Minister for Women's Affairs, June 1996) * In Graz, in the late 1980s there were 120 registered prostitutes, most of them Austrian. Now, there are over 300 registered prostitutes, 55% of them Austrian. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Trafficking in Women to Austria for Sexual Exploitation", IOM and the Austrian Minister for Women's Affairs, June 1996) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * A report issued by the Ministry of Interior of Slovakia on trafficking states that Slovakia is only a transit country for persons being trafficked mainly to Austria, the Czech Republic, and Germany for the purpose of forced prostitution.(US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Women from the Dominican Republic are trafficked to Spain, Italy, Austria and the Netherlands. (CATW Fact Book, citing European Conference on Trafficking in Women, Trafficking of Women to the European Union, June 1996) Azerbaijan GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Women usually are sent to the UAE or Western Europe, mainly Germany, to participate as workers in the sex industry, for example, in strip clubs, and as prostitutes. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Women from Iran, Russia, and sometimes Iraq, are transported through Baku to the UAE, Europe, and occasionally the United States for prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Prostitution has risen, due to the refugee influx. (CATW Fact Book, citing Dave Carpenter, "Baku Looks to Prosper From Oil", AP, 12 October, 1997) Bahamas - Bahrain - Bangladesh NATIONAL STATISTICS * Bangladeshi police estimate that there are between 15,000 and 20,000 children engaged in street prostitution. (ILO-IPEC, Karen C. Tumlin , Overview of Child trafficking for labour Exploitation in the Region citing Ghaley 1998, Working Papers on Child Labour in Asia - Vol -2, Bangkok, ILO, 2001) * It is estimated that there are 10,000 child prostitutes but other estimates range as high as 29,000. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * 20% of the child prostitutes in India come from Bangladesh and Nepal. (BNWLA, Salma Ali, Country Report on Trafficking in Children and their Exploitation in Prostitution, October 1998, citing a research publication by Dr. K.K. Mukherjee, India) * Over the last decade, 200,000 Bangladeshi girls were lured under false circumstances and sold into the sex industry in nations including Pakistan, India and the Middle East. (CATW Fact Book, citing Tabibul Islam, "Rape of Minors Worry Parents", IPS, 8 April, 1998) * About 10,000 girls are active in prostitution inside the country. (ILO-IPEC, Rapid Assessment of Child Labour Situation in Bangladesh, 1996) * 0.32% of the total child labourers are engaged in prostitution and a majority are females. (ILO-IPEC, Rapid Assessment of Child Labour Situation in Bangladesh, 1996) * About 40,000 children from Bangladesh are involved in prostitution in Pakistan. Bangladeshi girls are also trafficked to India for commercial sex trade. (ILO-IPEC, Rapid Assessment of Child Labour Situation in Bangladesh, 1996) * One could estimate a figure of 25 to 50 girl child being trafficked out of Bangladesh every month. These girls are all taken to serve as prostitutes. (CWA, Brother Jarlath de Souza, "Trafficking in Children: Bangladesh", Child Workers in Asia, Vol. 12, No. 3, July - September 1996) * 65% of 135 surveyed women and girls in brothels in Bangladesh were between age 11 and 13, and 33% were between age 13 and 15. (CATW Fact Book, citing BNWLA, Bangladesh Country Paper: Law and Legislation) LOCAL STATISTICS * 10,000 Bangladeshi children are in brothels in Bombay and Goa, India. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Human Smuggling from Bangladesh at alarming level", Reuters, 26 May 1997, citing Trafficking Watch Bangladesh) * There are 15,000-20,000 girl child prostitutes in Dhaka. Figures for boys are not available but the girl-boy ratio is 3:2. (Red Barnet, Misplaced Childhood: A Short Study on the Street Child Prostitutes in Dhaka City, 1997) * 9,107 women and children are in prostitution, of whom 5,529 are registered and 3,578 unregistered. (Red Barnet, Misplaced Childhood: A Short Study on the Street Child Prostitutes in Dhaka City, 1997, citing Ministry of Social Welfare and Social Affairs figures, INCIDIN) * 2.7% of prostitutes in Calcutta are Bangladeshi, the largest population of foreigners. The majority of these females are under 18. (CATW Fact Book, citing CEDAW Report: Bangladesh, 1 April 1997) ADULT STATISTICS * 27,000 Bangladeshi women and children have been forced into prostitution in Indian brothels. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Women Forced into Indian Brothels", CWCS, June 1998) * About 200 Bangladeshi women and children who are smuggled out of the country each day, mostly end up as prostitutes. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Human smuggling from Bangladesh at alarming level", Reuters, 26 May 1997) * 30,000 Bangladeshi women are in the brothels of Calcutta. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Human smuggling from Bangladesh at alarming level", Reuters, 26 May 1997) * There are 60,000-100,000 people in prostitution. (CATW Fact Book, citing CARE Bangladesh) * Approximately 1 million men buy prostituted women and children in Bangladesh. (CATW Fact Book, citing Wijaya Kannangara, "Paper on Cultural Violation") GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * A recent study commissioned by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) revealed that 68 per cent of children in prostitution interviewed were forced into their work. (ILO-IPEC, Karen C. Tumlin , Overview of Child Trafficking for Labour Exploitation in the Region, Working Papers on Child Labour in Asia - Vol -2, Bangkok, ILO, 2001) * For those over 18, prostitution is legal with government certification. Authorities commonly ignore this minimum age and presenting false papers easily circumvents regulations. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * Child prostitution is a concern in Bangladesh. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * Children are used to make pornographic films. (Nishanthi Priyangika, "Child labour on the increase in Bangladesh", World Socialist Web Site, 3/11/1999) * There is extensive trafficking of children, primarily to India, Pakistan, and destinations within the country are also largely for the purposes of forced prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * The Tanbazar brothel in Narayanganj is a market for the sale of minor girls. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Open sale of little girls at Tanbazar brothel", Daily Star, 2 July 1998, citing BNWLA) * There could be a few hundred thousand Bangladeshi girls in various houses of prostitution in India . (CWA, Brother Jarlath de Souza, "Trafficking in Children: Bangladesh", Child Workers in Asia, Vol. 12, No. 3, July - September 1996) Barbados NATIONAL STATISTICS * Over 1,100 children suffered abuse in 1997- 98. (US Dept of State, Human Rights Report, 1998) Belarus ADULT STATISTICS * 1,000 Ukrainian and Belarusan women are in prostitution in Poland. (CATW Factbook, citing Piotr Bazylko, " Poland, Ukraine to fight sex slave industry ", Reuters,16 July 1998) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Increasing cases of child prostitution are reported. (ECPAT Newsletter, May 1999) * The Committee expressed concern on emerging problem of the sexual exploitation of children. (UN CRC, Comments on Belarus, 1994) Belgium ADULT STATISTICS * There are 28,000 prostitutes in Belgium, about half come from abroad, mainly Western Europe. (CATW Fact Book, citing Belgium police estimates, "The Growing Exploitation of Migrant Women from Central and Eastern Europe", IOM, May 1995) * There are 2,000 foreign prostitutes in Belgium from developing countries and the Central and Eastern European Countries. (CATW Fact Book, citing Belgium police estimates, "The Growing Exploitation of Migrant Women from Central and Eastern Europe", IOM, May 1995) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * A Dutch study by Terre des Hommes indicates that many children are trafficked into the Netherlands for purposes of abuse through prostitution. Many of these children, mostly girls, come from Africa. They are sold again to Belgium and other European countries where they are forced to provide sex. (ECPAT International, A Step Forward, 1999) * Prostitution trade networks provide Colombian women for the markets in Spain, Britain, Germany, Belgium and the United States. (CATW Fact Book, citing Gustavo Capdevila, IPS, 2 April 1997, citing Radhika Coomaraswamy, UN Special Report on Violence Against Women) * In addition to child prostitution, in 1996 a murderous paedophile/child pornography group was uncovered. (EI, EI Barometer on Human and Trade Union Rights in the Education Sector, 1998) Belize GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * According to a spokesperson from the Human Development Department, there were rare reports of trafficking in children for the purpose of prostitution. Most cases reported involved migrant children. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Benin GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * An increasing number of children in extremely difficult circumstances are vulnerable to commercial sexual exploitation. These are mostly young girls' aged 8-15. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * Children are trafficked to Benin from Nigeria, Cote d'Ivoire. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Kidnapping and selling of children into prostitution is reported. (EI, EI Barometer on Human and Trade Union Rights in the Education Sector, 1998) * Thai girls are found to be working as prostitutes in Western African countries including Benin. ("Thai girls lured to sex trade in Africa", Bangkok Post, 24 August 1998) Bhutan - Bolivia GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Child prostitution is a growing problem, particularly among girls between the ages of 14 and 18. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Child victims of prostitution are present in large numbers. (US Dept of Labor, Prostitution of Children, 1996) Bosnia and Herzegovina GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Trafficking in girls for the purpose of forced prostitution is a problem. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * A significant number of women are manipulated or coerced into situations in which they work in brothels in conditions close to slavery.(US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * The country is an origin, transit, and destination point for women and girls trafficked for the purpose of forced prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Botswana - Brazil NATIONAL STATISTICS * In Brazil, an estimated 1 million children are believed to enter the multi-billion dollar sex market each year. (Child Prostitution, ECPAT Bulletin, Vol. 4/1, 1996-97) * In Brazil alone, NGOs estimate that every year between 500,000 and two million children are forced into prostitution. ("Experts meet in Brazil to fight Child Sex Slavery", Bangkok Post, 18 April 1996) * According to the Brazilian Institute of Social Action and Education, the number of girl prostitutes has risen to half a million in the whole country. (Jose Steinsleger, En el reino de Herodes, 1996) * 200,000 children are engaged in prostitution. (World Congress Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation, August 1996) LOCAL STATISTICS * In March the ILO reported that observers have cited over 3,000 girls who were subject to debt servitude and forced into prostitution in the state of Rondonia. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001, citing ILO) * In the Araras mine in Rondonia, 150 child prostitutes were found. (CATW, The Fact Book on Global Sexual Exploitation, 1999) * In Porto Murtinho, a town of 11 thousand, there are six locations of prostitution. In Coruma, (pop. 87.8 thousand) 16 prostitution establishments were found. In Campo Grande, (pop. 600 thousand) there are 12 prostitution establishments where over 100 young girls from Sao Paulo, Goias, Parana, Minas Gerais, Paraguay and Chile are prostituted in sex tourism. This practice also occurs in the municipality of Coxim where tourists staying in fishing encampments hire young girls. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Child prostitutes used in 'sex tourism' in Pantannal", SEJUP, 17 September 1997) * There are 200,000 children and adolescent prostitutes, 25,000 in the mining towns and 5,000 in the town of Belem. (US Dept of Labor, Prostitution of Children, 1996) * There are an estimated 10,000 child prostitutes in Amazonia. (CATW, The Fact Book on Global Sexual Exploitation, 1999) * There are more than 3,000 child prostitutes in the state capital of Rio Branco. (SEJUP website) * 92 teenaged girls and 30 children between 8 and 12 forced into prostitution were removed from the mining area near Madeira river in Western Rondonia. (SEJUP website) * Nearly 1,000 girls between 8 and 15 are in prostitution in the northeastern state of Rio Grande do Norte. (SEJUP website, citing Brazilian Center for Social Health Information and Orientation, CEBRAIOS) * 6,000 of the 10,000 prostitutes in Santos, a port town, are children between 10 and 16. (SEJUP website, citing Catholic University of Santos Study) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Approximately 85% were victims of commercial sexual exploitation and ranged from 12 to 17 years of age. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * In the northern Amazonian region, sexual exploitation of children centres around brothels that cater to mining settlements. In the large urban centres, children, principally girls, who leave home because of abuse or sexual exploitation often prostitute themselves on the streets in order to survive. In the cities along the northeast coast, sex tourism exploiting children is prevalent, and involves a network of travel agents, hotel workers, taxi drivers, and others who actively recruit children, and even traffic them outside the country. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Child prostitution is a significant problem throughout the country, but is severe in major coastal tourist cities. (US Dept of Labor, Sweat and Toil of Children: Efforts to Eliminate Child Labour, 1998) * In Amazonia, the type of forced child prostitution meets every criteria of slavery. (US Dept of Labor, Prostitution of Children, 1996) * A 1998 report notes a significant increase in prostitution among children under 14, and it was identified that the situation was worse in 30 municipalities. (ECPAT International) * In 1998, the economic and environmental crises has led children into prostitution for their families' survival. (CATW Fact Book, citing Phil Stewart, "Brazil drought spurs child prostitution", Reuters, 23 June 1998) * A recent survey identified 65 localities of prostitution in six cities in the Pantannal region. Many of the prostitutes are young girls. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Child prostitutes used in 'sex tourism' in Pantannal", SEJUP, 17 September, 1997, citing a survey by the Ministry of Justice) * The grave problems of child prostitution were matters of deep concern for the Committee. (UN Human Rights Committee, Comments on Brazil, 1996) * In Brazil, the trafficking of girl prostitutes is a well-organised business. (Jose Steinsleger, En el reino de Herodes, 1996) * Brazil has one of the worst child prostitution problems in the world, and is a favoured destination for paedophile sex tourists from Europe and the US. The poverty experienced by more than 40 million needy or abandoned children and adolescents increases the number of sexually exploited children every day. (ECPAT International) Brunei Darussalam GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Korea ranks 7th in terms of destination of deployed overseas Filipino workers. Illegal recruitments, allegedly for work abroad, have historically been exploited to bring women into prostitution or other forms of sexual exploitation in foreign lands. Current official estimates place the number of undocumented workers as 14,000. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Jean Enriquez, "Filipinos in Prostitution around U.S. Military Bases in Korea") Bulgaria ADULT STATISTICS * In 1997, police registered 200 cases of attempted smuggling of women to western brothels. (CATW Fact Book, citing Piotr Bazylko, "Poland, Ukraine to fight sex slave industry", Reuters, 16 July 1998) * According to a human rights group some 10,000 Bulgarian women, many under age 18, have fallen into the sex trade. ("International project to protect women", AP, 22 June 2000, reprinted in Stop Trafficking Archive, September 2000) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Trafficking in girls for the purpose of forced prostitution is a problem. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Women reportedly have been trafficked into Bulgaria from the former Soviet Union and Macedonia, also for forced prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * La Strada, a Netherlands-based NGO, reports that Bulgarian women constitute one of the largest groups of victims of forced prostitution in Western and Central Europe. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Albania is a major conduit for trafficked women from Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania, Russia, and Ukraine. Criminal gangs recruit or coerce women to work as prostitutes abroad, most often in Italy and Greece. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Traffickers have recruited women especially from Bulgaria, Russia, and Ukraine, to work as prostitutes in several towns in TFYR Macedonia. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Bulgarian street children engage in prostitution. (EFCW, Children Who Work in Europe, June 1998) * Children are reported to be involved in large numbers in prostitution. (US Dept of State, Human Rights Report, 1998) Burkina Faso GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * A study has shown that children are trafficked from Togo to Burkina Faso for use as prostitutes. (WAO-Afrique, Child Trafficking in West and Central Africa, submission to the UN Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, June 1999) * There has been a visible increase of children in sexual exploitation. (US Dept of Labor, Prostitution of Children, 1996) Burma (Myanmar) NATIONAL STATISTICS * In 1996, there were almost 200,000 foreign children from Burma, Laos and Cambodia who had been trafficked into Thailand for prostitution and work at construction sites and sweatshops. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Trafficking of children on the rise", Bangkok Post, 22 July 1998, citing IPSR) ADULT STATISTICS * From Burma, it was estimated in 1994 that as many as 20,000 to 30,000 women and girls had been trafficked primarily into brothels in Thailand, with 10,000 new recruits being added each year. (CWA, Ahmad Saufian, Pusat Kajian Perlindungan Anak, "Child Labour in Jermals", Child Workers in Asia, Vol.15, No. 2, May - August 1999) * The number of Burmese women and girls travelling to Thailand through Mae Sai to enter the sex industry is increasing. 60% of them are under 18 years of age. (CATW Fact Book, citing Aphaluck Bhatiasevi, "Influx of Burmese sex workers", Bangkok Post, 2 June 1997) * Thai officials estimate that there are 20,000 women and girls trafficked from Burma into Thai brothels with 10,000 more imported each year. (CATW, Dorchen Leidholdt, Sex Industry Survivor and Coalition address United Nations General Assembly, Coalition Report, Vol. 4, No. 1, 1997) * There are at least 50,000 Burmese girls and women working in Thailand as prostitutes at any one time. ("Report Cites Burma’s Child Rights Abuses", ECPAT Bulletin, Vol. 4/1, 1996-97) * Women from Burma's Shan state and China's southern province of Yunnan constitute 16% of the 77,000 women in the sex industry in Thailand.(CATW Fact Book, citing "Academic urges action in war against flesh trade", The Nation, 28 May, 1997, citing IPSR, Kritaya Archavanitkul, The Passage of Women in Neighbouring Countries into the Sex Trade in Thailand) * 50% of the prostituted women in Chiang Rai are Burmese. Thousands of indigenous Burmese women from Shan State in the north and from Keng Tung in Eastern Burma have been sold into brothels in Bangkok and throughout Thailand. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * There also is internal trafficking of women and girls from areas of extreme poverty to areas where prostitution is common. Men and boys reportedly are trafficked to other countries, primarily to Thailand, for sexual exploitation and for other purposes, but this appears to be a small percentage of the overall flow. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Girls are lured from Burma for the sex markets in Thailand or to be diverted to Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan. ("Human Trafficking: Gangs make Thailand a regional hub", Bangkok Post, 6 September, 2000, reprinted in Stop Trafficking Archive, September 2000) * Trafficking in women and children is a severe problem. Burma is a source country for thousands of women and young girls who are trafficked into the commercial sex industries of neighbouring countries. There are reliable reports that many women and children in border areas, where the government's control is limited, were forced or lured into working as prostitutes in Thailand and China. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Child prostitution and trafficking in girls for the purpose of forced prostitution - especially Shan girls who were sent or lured to Thailand, continues to be a major problem. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Malaysian police believe that the overwhelming number of prostitutes in Malaysia are foreigners from Indonesia, the Philippines, Burma, Thailand, and China. These women often work as karaoke hostesses, guest relations officers, and masseuses. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Child prostitution of young females, especially from ethnic minorities, is rampant. (US Dept of State, Human Rights Report, 1998) * Girls from Burma, aged 12-18, are in more demand for the sex industry in Thailand since traffickers are luring fewer girls from northern Thailand. (CATW Fact Book, citing "More foreign workers join sex industry as fewer Thai girls enter flesh trade", Bangkok Post, 24 November 1997, citing Wanchai Boonphacra of CPCR) * There is a reported increase in the number of children of both sexes working in Burma's expanding sex industry. (Human Rights Watch/Asia, "Burma: Children's Rights and the Rule of the Law", submission to the UN CRC, January 1997) * The number of Burmese, Cambodian, Vietnamese and Chinese children enticed into or forced into prostitution in Bangkok and other cities in Thailand, increased during 1997. (EI, EI Barometer on Human and Trade Union Rights in the Education Sector, 1998) * A 1996 study, conducted at 40 commercial venues in Bangkok, Kulachada and Chaipipat, found trafficking women and children from the Mekong countries - China, Burma, Laos and Cambodia to be increasing. The largest groups of newly trafficked women into the sex industry are from Burma’s Shan state, and minority women from the Northwest border areas. ("New law targets human trafficking", The Nation, 30 November 1997) * The military and political situation in Burma, has led to an increase in migration, which has made women extremely vulnerable to trafficking for prostitution. (CATW Fact Book, citing SANLAAP India, Indrani Sinha, "Paper on Globalization & Human Rights") Burundi GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * According to a report on February 2000, police authorities raided a local evangelical church and discovered about 40 people especially women and children who were being sexually exploited. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * One report on the 3 of March 2000 revealed that police had discovered a pimping network of seventy women and 20 young girls in a local bar around the "hot district" of Bujumbura. The women were in the habit of requesting food and drink from the men in exchange for having sex with female minors. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) Cambodia NATIONAL STATISTICS * The ILO's IPEC reported in 1999 that more than 15% of prostitutes were from 9 to 15 years of age, and that 78% of these girls were Vietnamese; the remainder were citizens. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001, citing ILO-IPEC) * Cambodian children are trafficked to countries in Southeast Asia. There is lack of reliable data on trafficking in women and children for commercial sexual exploitation but it is estimated that 10,000 to 15,.000 women and girls are trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. (CWA, Newsletter Vol. 16 No. 2 May-August 2000, CCPCR Addressing the Sexual Exploitation of Girls in Cambodia, Yim Po. Executive Director, CCPCR) * In fact, surveys indicate that 30 to 35 per cent of all sex workers in Cambodia are children between the ages of 12 and 17 years of age. (UNICEF, Children on the Edge, citing Lin Lim, (1998) The Sex Sector: The Economic and Social Basis of Prostitution in Southeast Asia (ILO), UNICEF East Asia and Pacific) * There are 14,725 prostitutes in 22 provinces and 64 districts alone - 15.5% aged 9-15 of which, 78% were Vietnamese and 22% Cambodian. (ILO-IPEC, Mainstreaming Gender in IPEC Activities,1999) * It is estimated that 30% of commercial sex workers in Cambodia are under 18 years of age. At least half are forced into the trade either by being tricked with promises of high paying jobs or are sold. (ECPAT International, A Step Forward, 1999) * 33% of sex workers are between 12 and 17 years. (ILO-IPEC, Mainstreaming Gender in IPEC Activities, 1999) * One third of 55,000 prostitutes are under 18 and most of them are Vietnamese. ("Vietnam Child Sex Trade Rising", AP Online, 24 April 1998) * There are approximately 20,000 prostitutes and the average age of the girls is 15 years. (World Vision, David Westwood, Child Trafficking in Asia, 1998) * At least 3,000 girls from south Vietnam have been trafficked to Cambodia for prostitution. More than 15% of them are below 15 years. (ILO-IPEC, Combating Trafficking in Children for Labour Exploitation in the Mekong Sub-region, October 1998) * There are 10,000 to 15,000 child sex workers in Phnom Penh alone. (ILO-IPEC, Child Labour in Cambodia, 1998) * Minors, some as young as seven, constitute more than 25% of the prostitutes in Cambodia's sex industry. (CATW Fact Book, citing Joe Cochrane, "Child's tragedy raises profile of rights march", South China Morning Post, 2 February 1998) * Cambodian brothels are home to over 3,000 adolescents between 11 and 17 years. (EI, EI Quarterly Magazine, September 1997) * There are around 5,000 children in prostitution. (ECPAT Bulletin, August 1996) * 35% of sex-workers are children. (ECPAT Bulletin, August 1996)   * By March 1995, minors, aged 12 to 17, comprised nearly 31% of prostituted persons in Phnom Penh and 11 other provinces, according to a survey conducted by the Human Rights Vigilance of Cambodia. (CATW Fact Book, citing "The Street of Little Flowers", Bangkok Post, 23 February 1997, rewritten from Mikel Flamm and Ngo Kim Cuc, Children of the Dust) * The overall number of prostitutes showed a huge increase during the UNTAC period, corresponding to the influx of UN troops in 1992-93. Since that time, the numbers of prostitutes have decreased, to around 17,000 in Phnom Penh, but surveys carried out by Cambodian Women's Development Association (CWDA) and Human Rights Vigilance of Cambodia have shown that the percentage of young girls under 18 involved has increased from around 25% to 30 or 35%. (CWA, Tim Seaman, Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defence of Human Rights (LICADHO), "Sexual Exploitation: Cambodia", Child Workers in Asia, Vol. 12, Nos. 1 & 2, January - June 1996) * In 1992, the average age of prostituted persons was 18. This dropped to 15 years by April 1993. (CATW Fact Book, citing "The Street of Little Flowers", Bangkok Post, 23 February 1997, rewritten from Mikel Flamm and Ngo Kim Cuc, Children of the Dust) ADULT STATISTICS * There are 10,000 to 20,000 women and children in prostitution in Phnom Penh, a city of 1 million. (CATW Fact Book, citing Chris Seper, "Police Sweeps Help Clean Up Child Prostitution", Christian Science Monitor, 8 January 1998) LOCAL STATISTICS * In Cambodia, The NGO Vigilance pour les droits de l'Homme interviewed 6110 sex professionals in Phnom Penh and in 11 provinces. 31 % were children from 12 to 17 years old. GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Children and adults from the poorer rural areas of Cambodia are trafficked to Phnom Penh and other commercial areas for sexual exploitation. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Cambodian men, women, and children are trafficked internationally, principally to Thailand for the purpose of sexual exploitation. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Child prostitution and trafficking in children were common. There were reliable reports that children were lured from or kidnapped in some provinces and forced into the illegal sex trade, both in Cambodia and abroad. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Women from Thailand, and a few from Cambodia and China, were being smuggled into South Africa for prostitution by Chinese and South African organised crime syndicates. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Vietnamese children also are trafficked domestically and overseas to work as prostitutes. One NGO advocate estimated that, among trafficked girl children, the average age was from 15 through 17 years; many were trafficked to Cambodia and China. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Vietnamese traffickers sell hundreds of women and children each year in Europe, China, Cambodia and Macau, for prostitution and arranged marriages. (CATW Fact Book, citing "EU wants more cooperation with Vietnam to end trafficking women, drugs", AFP, 27 February 1998)   * Vietnamese prostituted girls, are bound by contracts, which last from six months to over a year. Svay Pak has the largest number of prostituted Vietnamese girls. (CATW Fact Book, citing "The Street of Little Flowers", Bangkok Post, 23 February 1997, rewritten from Mikel Flamm and Ngo Kim Cuc, Children of the Dust) * There is an organised traffic into prostitution in Cambodia of young girls from Vietnam and South China. (CWA, Tim Seaman, Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defence of Human Rights (LICADHO), "Sexual Exploitation: Cambodia", Child Workers in Asia, Vol. 12, Nos. 1 & 2, January - June 1996) * There is internal trafficking of young Khmer girls from province to province within the country. (CWA, Tim Seaman, Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defence of Human Rights (LICADHO), "Sexual Exploitation: Cambodia", Child Workers in Asia, Vol. 12, Nos. 1 & 2, January - June 1996) * The high proportion of child victims of prostitution in Thailand is aggravated by the arrival of children lured and trafficked from Cambodia, China, Laos, and Burma. (US Dept of Labor, Prostitution of Children, 1996) * Prostitution has become a "fixture of urban life" in Cambodia. (CATW Fact Book, citing Laura Bobak "For Sale: The Innocence of Cambodia", Ottawa Sun, 24 October 1996) * Children as young as four have been sold into the sex industry in Cambodia. (CATW Fact Book, citing Laura Bobak "For Sale: The Innocence of Cambodia", Ottawa Sun, 24 October, 1996)   Cameroon GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Children are trafficked from and through Cameroon to other West African countries for indentured or domestic servitude, farm labour, and sexual exploitation. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * According to the NCHRF, there have been reports of farm-to-city trafficking of girls who were promised jobs in cities, but were forced into prostitution or other labour. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Canada NATIONAL STATISTICS * 70 to 80% of those involved in the Canadian sex industry began as children. (CATW Fact Book, citing Kimberly Daum, "Sexually Exploited Children in Canada", 17 October 1996) LOCAL STATISTICS * Of 1,500 people in the sex industry in Montreal, one third are women and children in street prostitution. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Prostitutes protest police sweep", Montreal Gazette, 23 June 1998) * Of 25 prostitutes known to be on the streets of Sudbury, half are under 15 years old and some are as young as 11. (CATW Fact Book, citing Wayne Chamberlain, "Half of Sudbury Prostitutes Under 15", The Sudbury Star, 13 April 1998, citing police sources) * Social workers in Toronto estimate that there are 10,000 children living on the streets and that many of them fall prey to pimps. (June Kane, Sold for Sex, Aren Ashgate Publising Limited Gower House, 1998) * There are between 600 and 300 minors involved in the sex trade in Montreal. (June Kane, Sold for Sex, Aren Ashgate Publising Limited Gower House, 1998) * More than 400 children, some as young as 11, are reported as working for pimps in Calgary. * 10% of the 100 to 200 women in street prostitution in Calgary, Canada, are under 18 years of age. (CATW Fact Book, citing Helen Dolik "Help group for families is launched" Calgary Herald, 11 August 1997) * 200-300 juveniles in Vancouver are routinely arrested on prostitution-related charges. (CATW Fact Book, citing Kimberly Daum, "Sexually Exploited Children in Canada", 17 October 1996) ADULT STATISTICS * There are an estimated 5,000 prostituted persons in Montreal. (CATW, The Fact Book on Global Sexual Exploitation, 1999) * About 12, 16-30 year old, Asian girls and women are trafficked into Canada each week on visitor's permits and sold into prostitution.The women are sold to brothel owners in Markham, Scarborough, Toronto, and Los Angeles, and forced into $40,000 debt-bondage. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Police Bust Sex-slave Ring", UPI, 11 September 1997, citing police officials) * There are 10,000 prostitutes in the Greater Toronto Area, and more than 4,000 women are in the escort trade. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Dating Services Bring Boom Times to Prostitution", Toronto Star, 1997, citing Detective Mark Marple of Peel Region and Police Nick Pron) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Child sex tourism is reported to be a problem in Vancouver. It is estimated that there are about 100 offences relating to the child sex trade in Vancouver every day. People also come from other parts of Canada to Vancouver to find prostituted children. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * In February 2001, a child of 11 was the youngest victim rescued by the Vice Squad. She had been abducted in Portland, Oregon, and was being prostituted by three young Americans. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * It is thought that Chinese girls are trafficked into Western Canada to work in the sex trade. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * There are also isolated cases of Canadian minors trafficked by pimps to the United States for the purpose of sexual exploitation. (US Dept of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * A local NGO reports that girls from Costa Rica have been transported through Central America and Mexico to work in the sex industry in the United States, Canada, and Europe. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Malaysian women are trafficked for sexual purposes mostly to Singapore, Macau, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, but also to Japan, Australia, Canada, and the United States. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * A recent study by the Canadian government shows that the number of children involved in prostitution is unexpectedly large. Hundreds of children are being abused as prostitutes in the province of British Columbia, which has the highest incidence of children involved in prostitution in Canada. (ECPAT International, A Step Forward, 1999) * Many of the young girls that are trafficked and forced into prostitution in Canada are ferried from city to city, from Seattle to San Francisco to Oakland to Phoenix to Honolulu and Portland. The pimps move them every 3-4 weeks. (CATW Fact Book, citing The Province, 19 December 1997, citing Portland Police Officer Doug Kosloske) * Vietnamese and Chinese mafia are expanding operations in brothels in Toronto, Canada. They traffic women from Southeast Asia. (CATW Fact Book, citing Rob Lamberti, "Sex Slaves: Fodder for Flesh Factories", Toronto Sun, 10 May 1998) * There is evidence of children in prostitution. (IWGCL, Working Children: Reconsidering the Debates, 1998) * Hundreds of children under 17 years old are being exploited in the sex industry in Vancouver, Canada.