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22 Suffolk Transnat'l L. Rev. 259 (1998-1999)
Preserving Children's Rights: The Challenges of Eradicating Child Sexual Exploitation in Thailand and India

handle is hein.journals/sujtnlr22 and id is 265 raw text is: PRESERVING CHILDREN'S RIGHTS: THE CHALLENGES OF ERADICATING CHILD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION IN THAILAND AND INDIA The commercial sexual exploitation of children is an atrocity and has rightly been called the ultimate evil. It is a perversion of the natural order where adults should be there to protect and nurture chil- dren, not to take advantage of their emotionally and physically vulnerable state.' I. INTRODUCTION The sexual exploitation of children in Thailand and India continues to increase despite the existence of laws prohibit- ing sexual offenses against children.2 Although the number of treaties advocating for children's rights has grown, political, economical, and cultural factors contribute to the sexual exploitation of over one million children in Asia.' The respective governments fail to enforce laws prohibiting child prostitution, fearing that their governments will lose the vast amounts of money brought in by child prostitu- tion.' In order for the laws to have a positive effect, Thai- 1. HIV and Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (visited June 6, 1998) <http://www.us.unaids.org/highband/events/wad/1997/commercial.html> (quoting Dr. Peter Piot, the Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS). 2. See Roger J.R. Levesque, Sexual Use, Abuse, and Exploitation of Chil- dren: Challenges in Implementing Children's Human Rights, 60 BROOK. L. REV. 959, 978-79 (1994) (noting lack of international support to eliminate child sexual exploitation); see also Joe Chidley Wilhelmina & Paras Chu Showeii, Fighting the Child Sex Trade: New Focus on an Ancient Evil, WORLD PRESS REVIEW, Nov. 1, 1996, at 6, available in 1996 WL 8399717 (estimating num- ber of sexually exploited children in Thailand and India). Thailand has approxi- mately 800,000 child prostitutes, while India has another 500,000. See id. 3. See Vickie F. Li, Child Sex Tourism: The Role of the United States as a Consumer Country, 4 PAC. RIM. POL'Y J. 505, 506 (1995) (suggesting rea- sons for child sexual exploitation); see also Wilhelmina & Showeii, supra note 2, at 6 (examining number of children sexually exploited in other countries). 4. See Kim Gooi, Thailand's Sex Industry Booms with the Economy, DEUT- SCHE PRESSE-AGENTUR, Dec. 17, 1996, available in 12/17/96 DCHPA 21:06:00 (explaining impact of growing economy on increasing rate of child prostitution). Thailand profits from the child sex trade, which increases the country's yearly income by 1.8 to 2.2 billion dollars per year. See id. Usually when a country's economy increases, the rate of prostitution decreases. See id. Unlike other countries,

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