Youths Travel To Share Views on Sex Crime
Three teenagers will participate in a world congress on sexual exploitation in Brazil this week. (25 November 2008)
Three Cambodian children traveled to Brazil Fridayand will begin a weeklong conference on sexual exploitation Tuesday, anorganizer said. The two boys, Ul Sopheak, 17, and Kul Kakda, 16, traveledwith a girl, Sovann Puthynanarak, 17, sponsored by World Vision for the WorldCongress III Against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents. The three will share experiences with youths from othercountries to highlight the dangers of sexual exploitation. “Those children will express their opinions and views andrecommendations on sexual exploitation issues,” said Bung Ying, a World Visionspokesman. Cambodian participants will also include representativesfrom the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and other non-governmental organizations. Sexual exploitation against children mostly occurs in poorcountries like Cambodia,Van Sophath, who works on child rights for Licadho, said Monday. “Because in Cambodia...when there is poverty, children and the families of thechildren need money,” he said. “It is easy for a foreigner who visits Cambodia,when they want to have sex with children, they use money.” Licadho has received reports of around 50 cases of child sextrafficking around the country so far this year, he said. Cambodiais working to eliminate its reputation as a destination for sex tourists andpedophiles, and police say the number of cases declined in Phnom Penh this year. Russian businessman Alexander Trofimov, who has been foundguilty of at least one count of pedophilia, was set to begin another trial inSihanoukville this week.