Sexual Exploitation of Children

Eyes Wide Shut?

On the 35th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Brussels office of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom is publishing a survey that examines European citizens’ perspectives on Sexual Exploitation of Children in Travel and Tourism (SECTT).
SECTT refers to the sexual exploitation of children by individuals who travel, domestically or internationally, to destinations where they can access children. This exploitation often involves the use of tourism services such as accommodation and transportation, which allow perpetrators to operate inconspicuously. Victims are often coerced into sex work, trafficked, or exploited due to their circumstances.
Although SECTT is often associated with far-off destinations, it is not confined to one region—it happens in Europe too. Perpetrators span all demographics and socio-economic backgrounds, and with the ease of travel, social media, and limited legal frameworks, exploitation has become increasingly difficult to combat.
The scale of SECTT is significant. Due to its hidden and taboo nature, precise figures are hard to determine, but it is estimated that millions of children worldwide are affected, with indications of a global increase in child exploitation within the tourism sector.
According to the FNF Europe survey, 3 out of 4 Europeans believe that current EU laws are insufficient to protect children from this form of exploitation. With millions of children affected globally, including within the EU, the critical need for cooperation, education, and vigilance to protect the most vulnerable has never been more important.