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Thousands of German nationals contribute to the global demand for child sex tourism each year

Posted on Jun 17, 2013

Germany is one of the world’s richest countries and has the largest national economy in Europe. With a high standard of living, Germany is ranked 10th in the world on the Human Development Index. It also has one of the best child education records in the world. Although Germany has good education, healthcare and social welfare systems for children, the country continues to be affected by child sexual exploitation, trafficking of children for sexual purposes and other forms of commercial sexual exploitation. Interpol has identified Germany as one the main producers of child sexual abuse materials, commonly referred to as child pornography. The German Government also found that access to videos and other online child sexual abuse material more than doubled from 2006 to 2007. In line with a global trend, an increase in the amount of violence against small children depicted in pornographic materials has also been observed by the German police. Citizens are also offending outside Germany’s borders. According to some estimates, 20,000 German nationals contribute to the global demand for child sex tourism each year. A study by UNICEF reports that Germans are the second most represented nationality committing child sexual tourism related offences in Kenya. Another study, released in 2007, highlights child sexual abuse by Germans in Southeast Asia and Central America. Closer to home, enhanced cooperation between the Czech Republic, Germany and Austria has resulted in a decrease in child sex tourism from Germany to neighbouring countries. However, despite this progress, the phenomenon continues to occur in the border regions of Germany and the Czech Republic. To understand more about the commercial sexual exploitation of children in Germany, you can read the full report here.