Agence France Presse

Phnom Penh, February 28:

The Cambodian government and child advocates today appealed to the tourist industry and non-government organisations to help stop foreigners coming to the kingdom to have sex with children. More than 100 people including diplomats, NGO workers and officials began a two-day meeting here aimed at combatting child-sex tourism in the kingdom, a notorious haven for foreign paedophiles. “They will be looking at how the private sector, NGOs, embassies and the government can work together better, particularly in providing information and arresting and prosecuting Westerners,” World Vision country director Talmage Payne said, “We need more engagement from the private sector such as tourism companies, hotels and travel agents.”

US-funded World Vision, which is hosting the event, said urgent action was needed to stop the abuse of children. “The sexual exploitation of children will not be tolerated. We are working together to ensure that people who harm children are monitored, arrested and prosecuted,” Payne said. Tourist arrivals in Cambodia jumped by 44 per cent last year, reaching just over the government’s target of one million arrivals, a figure authorities hope to triple by 2010 to earn the impoverished nation much needed foreign exchange. The tourism ministry’s Hor Sarun said the abuse of children was an international concern. Foreign paedophiles “might think that our country is a developing country which might not know the issue clearly, so they take a chance committing crimes in our country,” he said. “Child sex tourism is not just a concern in Cambodia, but it is a global concern that we need to address,” Hor Sarun said. A slew of foreigners have been nabbed in Cambodia in recent years as part of a campaign to crack down on paedophiles, with several heavy jail sentences meted out and a number of foreigners deported to face trial at home.