03 Jul 2006: ISS Today: Kenya`s Sex Tourism `Slowly Blossoming` and Remains Unabated

03 July 2006: Kenya`s sex tourism `slowly blossoming` and remains unabated
Daily Nation

 

Unscrupulous Kenyan travel agents are said to be using lax anti-sex tourism legislation to woo paedophiles from Europe and other destinations for sex holidays in the country.

 

Commentary

 

Evidently the Kenyan coast faces a new kind of crisis, with a number of tourists visiting the destination ostensibly to have sex with children. While sex has always been part and parcel of the "feel good" tourism industry, new investigations have revealed that there is a category of tourists who come to Kenya solely looking for virgins, a quest buoyed by the myth that sex with a virgin could cure terminal conditions such as HIV/AIDS. Most of the tourists—between the ages of 45 and 65—are pensioners who are either divorced or seeking to rekindle their sexual lives by having sex with teenagers, who are also perceived to be safe from HIV.

 

As a result, child sex or paedophilia is blossoming in Kenya. While the Child Welfare Society of Kenya says that the coastal province is under threat of sex tourism, the Kenyan Government has failed to act because of the sensitivity of the tourism industry. Even though data on the nature and scope of the child sex market is scarce and disputable, as sex tourism is operated by a complex web, shrouded in secrecy and underworld dealings, it is estimated that as many as 30,000 girls between the ages of 12 and 14 years are being lured into hotels and private villas where they are sexually exploited after being lured by promises of riches and trips abroad. Havens include closely guarded and secluded villas, hair salons, massage parlours and lodgings. The illicit trade also involves some tour operators, hotels and well-connected agents.

 

Tourism officials admit that Kenya`s role as a child sex destination has been downplayed for fear that the publicity could undermine the crucial tourism industry, which is already reeling from the effect of negative travel advisories from the US government. Further, Kenya`s supremacy as the ultimate tourist destination in Africa is threatened currently by emerging destinations such as South Africa, Tanzania, Botswana and Namibia. Tourism is Kenya`s third largest foreign exchange earner after tea and horticulture.

 

A Ministry of Tourism report recently revealed that paedophiles were leaving child sex tourism centres in Asia because of new tough laws and were heading for African countries like Kenya, where laws are lax.  Besides laxity in the enforcement of laws, Kenya is yet to ratify international protocols on Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking, and Children Involved in Child Conflict. The Children`s Act neither specifically addresses the problem of child prostitution nor provide stiff penalty for offenders. Campaigns against sex tourism are further undermined by the fact that most hotel management lack the knowledge on how to deal with tourists who engage in the vice.

 

Leading the pack of Kenyan cities in the sex trade is Mombasa, Kenya`s second largest city, and a major port of call by seafarers, frequented by thousands of sailors and marines, whose vessels usually dock at Kilindini Harbour. For instance, when an American Navy Aircraft carrier docks in Mombasa, girls come from as far as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda. The sailors who have a few hours on land, pay as much as $ 100 per session.

 

But the trade not only affects girls; it also affects young boys, many of whom are orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS. Other sex havens include Malindi, Nairobi and the 12th Century Lamu town, which is slowly gaining reputation as an attractive destination for homosexual tourists looking for young boys.

 

The allure of sex tourism is real and growing. The prospect of easy money in a situation in which unemployment is rife drives more and more girls into the trade.  Apparently, the mixture of Islamic and African culture helps to conceal the extent of the problem. Tackling the issue of child sex is complicated by some traditional practices. While activists look at it from the Eurocentric perspective and are lobbying for its ban, among the Miji Kenda—the nine communities that inhabit the coastal region—a 13-year old girl is traditionally of marriageable age. The locals therefore do not understand what the fuss is all about.

 

The Government of Kenya, through its Ministry of Trade and Tourism, needs to address and put in place laws that will restrict and curb this problem, as there is a clear link between sex tourism and human trafficking, in addition to the spread of HIV/AIDS. Players in the tourism industry are committed to eradicating the problem of sex tourism and especially child sexual exploitation because of the dangers it poses to the industry and to children.  Further, a number of international tour operators have already signed a code of conduct to protect children from sexual exploitation in the travel and tourism industry, but cannot be successful without the backing of the Government. A starting point in addressing this problem would be the ratification of the international protocols on Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking while specifically addressing child prostitution and exploitation in The Children`s Act and providing harsher penalties for offenders.

 

Carole Njoki