Fiji. Bahamas. Fort Lauderdale. Las Vegas. Thailand. Port au Prince. San Francisco. Honolulu.
These are all romantic place names that stir up images of walking hand in hand down the beach or watching great entertainment with your special someone. With Valentine's Day just around the corner, travel plans for holiday get-aways are being solicited with all the fervor of last minute ticket sales to the Super Bowl.
While these destinations offer great vacations for the couples in love, there is another side to these locales that is not often seen by the public eye. Many excursion brokers market to men, and sometimes women, who don't intend to take their spouses to the sexual encounters they plan to have. Sex Tourism is the name given to travel, usually abroad, for the purpose of having sex. A large subset of this industry involves sex with minors who are held in brothels around the world.
The multi-billion dollar industry caters to those who think they might get away with something in a far-away place that they might not feel comfortable doing at home. However, sex tourism with children is illegal in most countries, and the perpetrator can be charged with criminal activity in the homeland and in the destination country. The penalties can be quite severe, and an American charged with crimes on foreign soil may find he has no rights at all.
Not all child sex tourism takes place out of the US. Just last week, a Texas man, Kenzie Nelson, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for sex tourism with a minor. His destination with the child was from Dallas to just across the state line to McAlester, Oklahoma, a mere three hours away.
In other states, Nelson's activities would be called child sex trafficking, and could be worth up to 25 or more years in prison. Whether paid sex acts with a minor happen in the back seat of a car two blocks off the main drag, or in another locale to which one travels with a child or to meet a child, the result is known as commercial sexual exploitation of a child or child sex trafficking.
US federal agents are getting more sophiscated in tracking down international child prostitution rings. State laws are getting stricter for the johns or customers who seek out children for paid sex. Indiana just passed a tough law so law enforcement officers could crack down on the sex tourism connected with the Super Bowl.
Having sex with a child is never romantic. It is the most serious form of child abuse, and it is a crime. It is also one of the most destructive things that can happen to a young person, and the devastating effects will last a lifetime. The results for the abuser can also last a lifetime with a felony conviction.
Valentine's Day is a great time to express your care and commitment to your spouse. Set up a great romantic escape that will leave you both feeling invigorated in your love for each other. But, leave the children alone so they can continue to be innocent little ones and you won't have to deal with being a criminal. After all, real men and women don't have sex with kids.
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