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Operation Twisted Traveler is in full swing and is targeting Americans who exploit children for sex in Cambodia, which experts describe as a top destination for child predators.
U.S. and Cambodian authorities, as well as nongovernmental organizations are involved in the effort to halt the child sex tourism trade.
Three Americans already have been accused of traveling to Cambodia to have sex with children and have been charged in federal court this past Monday. Their appearances mark the first prosecutions under a new international initiative intended to combat child sex tourism.
Virginia Kice, a spokesperson for U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told members of the media, "This level of cooperation is unprecedented." The initiative was coordinated under the direction of the Justice Department.
ICE hopes the arrests, done in conjunction with federal prosecutors in Los Angeles, Cambodian police and two anti-child trafficking organizations, International Justice Mission and the human rights organization Action Pour Les Enfants, will send a message that police are watching. Since 2003, ICE has arrested 70 international sex offenders under the Child Protect Act.
Cambodian authorities arrested the three on charges related to child sexual exploitation and they made their first appearances in federal court Monday in California.
Sex tourism is defined as when minors are sold for sex through brothels or are solicited off the street, which has long been part of the background in Cambodia. If convicted, the suspects could receive 30 years in prison for each offense.
Cambodia is a poor country where laws are not strictly enforced, and money purchases children so families can buy basic needs, food or healthcare. According to the World Bank, the average per capita income is less than $600, so families opt to sell their children to foreign pedophiles or sex houses.
One of the suspects was actuality caught while molesting a 10 year-old Vietnamese girl in an area called Kilo 11, a well-known haven for child brothels, about 11 kilometers outside Phnom Penh.
"Cambodia in particular has been known for some time as a pedophile haven because there's been a broken justice, no rule of law, and actually no laws on the books that would have been enforceable against these types of activities until recently," said Jeff Blom, a field investigator with International Justice Mission.
"We need to change the fear equation, and make pedophiles fear going to jail."
Cambodian police say other victims were believed to be paid $5 or $10 after each sexual act and the children were photographed naked. Mothers of two of the abused boys lived on the street and sold their boys for up to $100 because, they said, "they needed the money."
Investigators say all three sex offenders lived in or just outside the capital city of Phnom Penh while on their multiple trips to the Asian region in the last few years.
In the U.S. the men face charges under the Protect Act - a 2003 law that provides life terms for child sex offenders with prior convictions, which provides for much longer sentences than offenders would get abroad.
Investigators say the men are part of a thriving billion-dollar sex tourism business. After a crackdown in Thailand on child sex, the industry moved primarily to Cambodia, where pedophiles molest Vietnamese girls and Cambodian boys, with little risk of being caught.
JP Bender is a retired award winning investigative reporter with 35 years experience in the profession. He now spends his retirement living in Maryland with his children and grandchildren. He still reports on issues of national interest, while his peers claim he does not fully understand the meaning of the word“retired.”
I can't even imagine selling my child, but I know, especially in desperate times, money talks. I hope the individuals involved are punished more severely. It seems like a slap on the hand.
Thanks Lorrie for taking the time to read the article. These individuals are lucky that they had the opportunity to meet justice in the way they did. If I had been involved it would have created more serious problems. JP
Thanks for enlightening many - sometimes THE WORLD is so overwhelming one hardly knows what to do or where to turn! Yet we can't just sit by... some of us write - am glad you didn't "retire" when you retired. It is only in my "retirement" that I have time to write to share with others - though I have written all my life.(I was laid off 4 years ago and both my hubby and I love having me home) Marijo
Thanks Edward. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be anything we as normal citizens of this country can do to help - but prayer is a viable course to persue. I often wonder why Almighty God doesn't strike these people down - immediately. I am not questioning His actions - but I do think about it. I will be joining you in prayer. JP
This article creates some very good awareness about child exploitation. I once worked at the State Dept and we dealt with human trafficking, which is similar to what you just described. The stories are scary and gruesome. Exploiters should be punished for longer term periods than what's given at present.
Thank you anonymous for taking the time to read this article. The act of being a child exploiter is scary and gruesome. I hope our government allows this program to expand and gives the field agents a stronger voice in following up. JP
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