Human Trafficking and Sex Tourism in Latin America Essay

Human Trafficking and Sex Tourism in Latin America - Essay Example Brazil is one of the countries in the Latin America mentioned in many international reports to have experienced blossoming sex tourism and human trafficking. The tremendous development of sex tourism and human trafficking in Brazil attributes to various historical, political, economic and social factors. Currently, serious cases of children involvement in commercial sex have gained an upward gradient as many of the participants are under-educated or totally illiterate. Evolution of the Menace According to Hannum, sex tourism in Latin America evolved as a result of increased demand for sex among the wealthy Europeans who travelled to Latin America to obtain cheap sex from the regional women. The evolution of sex tourism in the Latin American countries also relates to the establishment of military bases of foreign armies in those regions. The British armies are held as major participants in the evolution sex tourism in the Latin America. In the views of Hannum, governments of the Latin American countries like Brazil resolved to support tourism in their specific countries as this was one of the ways to generate massive revenues. Promotion of tourism in these areas coupled with the increase in number of commercial sex workers desperate for the foreign European currencies. Sex tourism as per the current statistics has grown to a multibillion dollar industry in Brazil. However, most of the revenues gathered from the sector do reach the government in either ways (Hannum). The industry encompasses women, males and international clients who either come to obtain sex or to sell their sex to respective consumers. Current Status, Trends and Predisposing Factors Hannun in reference to the reports of End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Child Trafficking (ECPAT), estimates that child sex tourism in Brazil rose to 500,000 in the year 1994. This is number is exceptional to Brazil alone without putting into count similar cases in other Latin American countries. Hannun reports that research conducted by the Predo Foundation averred that most incidents of prostitution among children in the larger Latin America correlate to regional incapability to care for its population. Reports indicate that most children resort to prostitution as an alternative way to earning a living. In addition, most of the children engaged in prostitution in the Latin American countries, specifically Brazil are victims of civil conflicts who faced abusive families. Hannum further demonstrates that increase in child sex tourism in Brazil links to the growing dislike of the old sex workers feared to have infections of sexually transmitted disease. Moreover, Hannun confirms that child sex tourism in Brazil and entire Latin America is factored by sex clients’ feeling of freedom from their social cultural rules that restrict the practice. The rigorous growth of child sex tourism in Brazil also relates to the increased media advertisements of jobs that lure desperate childr en to apply for such rare vacancies in their respective countries (Hannum). Advertisements of luxurious free travel have also been one of the ways used by dealers in the sex tourism industry to hunt for children and other sex tourism practitioners. Increase in sex tourism in Brazil also links to the wide internet advertisement of sexual pictures that trigger the urge for sex among the