Parents blamed for child sex exploitation

By Paul Gitau

Parents are to blame for the sexual exploitation of their children.

The Italian Consul in Malindi Roberto Macri said parents were the greatest enemies of their children for using the minors to get money from foreigners.

Speaking to journalists in his office yesterday, Mr Macri said foreign tourists implicated in defiling minors usually gave a lot of money to parents so that such cases were not reported to police, and that even if they were, the parents would opt to have the cases settled out of court.

"In almost all the cases, the foreigners give the parents of the victims colossal amounts of money not to take them to court, thus compromising them," he said.

Not reached courts

Responding to allegations that police had released several Italian nationals after being caught with young girls and boys, Macri said many cases of child sex exploitation by tourists had not reached the courts.

He said as long as parents and relatives continue to play double standards and accept money from the culprits, the practice would not stop.

He said the issues were usually shrouded in secrecy between parents, their children and the foreigners, making it difficult to take legal action against perpetrators.

He also blamed some police officers, lawyers, court clerks and magistrates for frustrating the war against the vice by colluding to deny children justice by receiving cash from suspects.

He called for honesty to prevail among parents, lawyers, court clerks and magistrates, and the general public to stump out the menace.

A campaign spearheaded by the United Nations

Children’s Education Fund and Solidarity for Women in Distress, a local NGO, has made most hotels in Coast Province to sign a code of conduct aimed at stopping child sexual exploitation in the tourism industry.

 

 

Read all about: Italian Consul Malindi Roberto Macri United Nations Children’s Education Fund Solidarity for Women in Distress

 

 

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