Child sex tourism rises in TN, Orissa

As India tries to get more visitors to its shores, experts are warning that child sex tourism is raising its head in a dangerous way, not just in tourist havens but also in religious hubs in TamilNadu and Orissa.

Carmen Madrinan, an international expert in the field, who was here for a UN conference on human trafficking, said the child sex industry in India had spread from its traditional hubs in Goa and Kerala.

"It is also gaining momentum in religious places in TamilNadu and Orissa," Madrinan, executive director of the NGO End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography, and the Trafficking of Children (ECPAT), said.

"India is among the most rapidly growing economies in the world and the introduction of economy airlines, the development of untapped destinations, improved infrastructure and new modes of tourism - such as eco and experiential tourism - have brought tourists even closer to unexposed communities.

"With this increased proximity, criminal activities against children and other vulnerable groups are likely to grow," said Madrinan.

"Asian countries including Thailand, India and the Philippines have long been prime destinations for child sex tourists," said Jeff Avina, director of operations at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Vienna.

"India's economy is booming and it is high time the government here enforced laws more stringently before the situation becomes difficult to manage."