Sexual Exploitation of Children in Travel and Tourism Perpetration: An Expansion of the Ecosystem Model.

The sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism (SECTT), also referred to as child sex tourism, involves engaging in sexual activity with someone under the age of 18 in the context of travel and/or tourism. Research on the perpetration of SECTT is vastly underdeveloped. The present review considers the operationalization of SECTT, its prevalence, and existing theoretical models. Existing theory on SECTT provides a good overview of environmental factors that contribute to SECTT, but the model is insufficient in fully accounting for individual-level risk factors related to sexual offending against children. The present paper expands an existing theoretical model of SECTT, the ecosystem model, to account for these individual risk factors and considers their interaction with environmental factors. The paper concludes by highlighting different avenues for future research.

Sexual Offending Pathways and Chat Conversations in an Online Environment.

People from all over the world pay for live streaming video images of minors, also called webcam child sex tourism (WCST). Although there is an increase in research about online sexual offending, relatively few studies have investigated the approaches used by people who have committed WCST offenses (PWCST). In addition, these studies describe these approaches as active-orientated without mentioning an avoidant pathway. The aim of the study was to investigate whether PWCST use similar pathways as the four offending pathways identified by Ward and Hudson. Using qualitative thematic analysis, 195 cases of online chat conversations between PWCST and operators posing as a minor were analyzed. The Ward and Hudson pathways model was partially replicable. Evidence was found for an approach and avoidant pathway. The data also suggest three other sub-pathways and a mixed pathway. Most PWCST in this study used an approach pathway to immediately approach minors for sex, which provides important insight into the diverse nature of sexual grooming.

Social inequalities, sexual tourism and HIV in Cartagena, Colombia: an ethnographic study.

BACKGROUND: Cartagena, Colombia's main port on the Caribbean Coast, reported an HIV incidence of 7.5 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2007 with 90.0% transmission by heterosexual contact and 70 identified as women with a stable partner. Studies across Colombia illustrate that HIV infection relates to social inequalities; most people with HIV live in poverty and have minimal access to health care, education, and secure jobs. The purpose of this article is to analyse the relationship between social inequalities, sexual tourism and HIV infection in Cartagena, Colombia. METHODS: Data come from a five-year participatory ethnography of HIV in Cartagena in the period 2004-2009, in which 96 citizens (30 of whom were living with HIV) participated in different data collection phases. Techniques included participant observation, in-depth interviews and thematic life histories. Out of this material, we selected three life histories of two women and a man living with HIV that are representative of the ways in which participants expressed how social inequalities make it virtually impossible to engage in safe sex practices. RESULTS: At stake is the exchange of condomless sex for goods within the widespread sexual tourism networks that promote an idealisation of dark-skinned men and women as better sexual performers. Our results illustrate the complex interplay of social inequalities based on class, skin colour, gender and sexual orientation. Furthermore, they suggest a synergistic effect between poverty, racialization, and gender inequalities in the historical maintenance of social dynamics for a fruitful growth of a sexual tourism industry that in turn increases vulnerability to HIV infection. CONCLUSIONS: Although the convergence of social inequalities has been thoroughly reported in the literature on social studies of HIV vulnerability; distinctive dynamics are occurring in Cartagena, including a clear link between the contemporary globalised sexual tourism industries and a racialised social structure - both having historical roots in the colonial past-.

Performance, power and condom use: reconceptualised masculinities amongst Western male sex tourists to Thailand.

Each year large numbers of Western men travel to Thailand for sex tourism. Although many will use condoms during their sexual encounters, others will not, potentially exposing themselves to the risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. Although sex tourism in Thailand has been well documented, the social drivers underpinning voluntary sexual risk-taking through the avoidance of condoms remain poorly understood. Engaging with R.W. Connell's concept of hegemonic masculinity and drawing on data collected from 1237 online discussion board posts and 14 face-to-face interviews, this study considers the ways in which understandings and performances of masculinities may inform the sexual risk-taking behaviours of Western male sex tourists. It argues that for some of these men, unprotected sex is viewed not as a reckless behaviour but, instead, as a safe and appropriate masculine practice, supported by relationships that are often framed as romantic and within a setting where HIV is still largely considered a homosexual disease. With sex workers often disempowered to request safer sexual practices, and some men's attitudes towards unprotected sex resistant to external health promotion advice, the paper concludes by considering what this might mean for policy and practice.

Child sex tourism - prevalence of and risk factors for its use in a German community sample.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the prevalence of child sex tourism (CST) in a large German community sample, and to compare those who made use of CST with other child sexual abusers regarding established characteristics and risk factors for child sexual abuse. METHODS: Adult German men were recruited through a German market research panel and questioned by means of an anonymous online survey. Group assignment was accomplished based on information on previous sexual contacts with children and previous use of CST. Characteristics and risk factors were compared between the groups using t- and Chi-square tests. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to predict CST. Data collection was conducted in 2013, data analysis in January 2015. RESULTS: Out of 8718 men, 36 (0.4%) reported CST use. The CST group differed from the nonCST group (n = 96; 1.1%) with regard to pedophilic sexual and antisocial behaviors as well as own experiences of sexual abuse. Social difficulties, pedophilic sexual interests, and hypersexuality were not distinct features in the CST group. Own experiences of sexual abuse, child prostitution use, and previous conviction for a violent offense predicted CST in a logistic regression model. CONCLUSIONS: This study is a first step to gain insight into the prevalence and characteristics of men using CST. Findings could help to augment prevention strategies against commercial forms of sexual abuse in developed as well as in developing countries by fostering the knowledge about the characteristics of perpetrators.

'Total girlfriend experience': examining marketplace mythologies on sex tourism websites.

The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic content analysis of sex tour websites to understand how sex tours are marketed to potential clients. A total of 380 web pages from 21 sex tour websites were reviewed. The sex tour websites sought to promote privacy and hassle-free travel with a local 'escort' and the opportunity for 'hooks-ups' with no strings attached. Three themes emerged around the description of sex workers: (1) enjoyment and complete acceptance, (2) a 'total girlfriend experience' and (3) exoticisation of the 'Third World' woman. The majority of the sex tourism websites used marketplace mythologies concerning racism, sexism and imperialism to appeal to sex tourists' desires for fantasy experiences, power and domination, and a renewed sense of identity. Legal and STI-related information was largely missing from the websites, and when it was included it was aimed at protecting sex tourists, not sex workers. It is of importance for researchers, social workers and others engaging with sex workers and sexscapes to recognise the power of language, cultural myths and framings and their ability to generate real-world social and health implications.

'Men at risk': sex work, tourism, and STI/HIV risk in Jamaica.

Female sex tourism has become an accepted income generator for many underemployed men in Jamaica who seek to reap economic benefits from relationships with visiting tourist women. This issue provides contexts to explore the numerous ways in which health intersects with issues of masculinity, sexuality and marginality. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in a popular Jamaican resort town, this paper examines the health implications of female sex tourism for the local population and tourist visitors. Data from this project indicate the need for improved sexually transmitted infection education and HIV outreach work towards men who are involved in transactional sex with tourist women. Due to prevalent perceptions of masculinity and gendered notions of sexuality, men who engage in sex tourism constitute a population that rarely receives the attention of local and national health authorities. Data from this qualitative study suggest that engaging this particular vulnerable population could potentially decrease the risk of STI and HIV infection in the country's most popular resort areas. Research of this kind is urgently needed to better understand the risk factors and challenges for Caribbean populations, as well as to inform future prevention efforts in the region.

The silent, rapidly unfolding threat of mpox spread via international travel to Southeast Asia: Are we ready?

The 2022 mpox (monkeypox) outbreak has been surprisingly large and has raised several novel questions about this disease. New information, such as atypical clinical manifestations and transmission via sexual activities, have been identified. These pose a potential risk of widespread outbreaks due to unusual clinical manifestations and failure to consider mpox as a diagnosis by physicians and the sexual behaviours of some tourists in Southeast Asia. Since Southeast Asia is a popular tourist destination, there is substantial potential for the silent spread of mpox in this region. Consequently, there is an urgent need for effective surveillance measures at points of entry of international travelers to identify suspected cases and their close contacts in order to limit the spread of mpox in Southeast Asia.

Sun, sea and sex: a review of the sex tourism literature.

BACKGROUND: Sex tourism is defined as travel planned specifically for the purpose of sex, generally to a country where prostitution is legal. While much of the literature on sex tourism relates to the commercial sex worker industry, sex tourism also finds expression in non-transactional sexual encounters. This narrative review explores current concepts related to travel and sex, with a focus on trans-national sex tourism. METHODS: The PubMed database was accessed to source relevant literature, using combinations of pertinent search terms. Only articles published in the English language were selected. Reference lists of published articles were also examined for relevant articles. RESULTS: With regard to preferred destinations, South/Central America and the Caribbean were more likely to receive tourists looking for casual sex. Longer duration of travel, travelling alone or with friends, alcohol or drug use, being younger and being single were factors associated with higher levels of casual sex overseas. The majority of literature retrieved on sex workers focused on risk behaviours, sexually transmitted infections (STI), mobility of sex workers and how these factors affected their lives. Sex tourists require better access to effective methods of preventing HIV, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis, and better education on HIV prevention. Drugs and alcohol play a major role as risk factors for and cofactors in casual sexual behaviour while abroad. CONCLUSIONS: Travellers need to be informed of the increased risks of STI before travel. They should be aware of the local prevalence of STIs and the risks associated with their sexual practices when they travel, including engaging with commercial sex workers, having unprotected sexual intercourse and becoming victims of sexual violence.

Mercado do sexo e turismo sexual: olhares ampliados / Sex market and sex tourism: enlarged views

O texto dialoga com os artigos publicados no número 25 da revista cadernos pagu(Unicamp), cujo tema é o mercado do sexo. A discussão engendrada pelos trabalhos que compõem a obra possui relevância quando se pretende compreender o fenômeno do turismo sexual e suas plurais possibilidades de análise. Os autores diversificaram o debate sobre a prostituição, lançando novos olhares acerca da autonomia dos indivíduos que se inserem no mercado do sexo pago. A partir de interfaces com diferentes campos de estudos, as produções procuram desconstruir estereótipos, colaborando com uma abordagem complexa do assunto, como a imagem limitada que se tem do chamado "turista sexual típico". A contribuição do dossiê é a capacidade de instigar os pesquisadores do turismo sexual a repensar os marcos teóricos tradicionalmente relacionados ao tema, ampliando a visão preconceituosa de parte da academia e do senso comum relacionada a ele.

The text dialogues with the academic papers published in the cadernos pagu journal (Unicamp) number 25, whose theme is the sex market. The discussion engendered by the work is relevant when one intends to understand the phenomenon of sex tourism and its multiple possibilities for analysis. The authors diversified the debate on prostitution, launching new perspectives on the autonomy of individuals who enter the paid sex market. Based on interfaces with different fields of study, the productions seek to deconstruct stereotypes, collaborating with a complex approach to the subject, suchas the limited image of the so-called "typical sexual tourist". The contribution of it is the capacity of instigate researchers of sex tourism by rethinking the theoretical frameworks traditionally related to the theme, showing that it is possible to expand the view from a portion of the academy and the common sense related to it.