New Crackdown On Sex Tourism Targets Criminals In The Air
Sex offenders beware: You can run, but you can't hide. A new international crackdown is zeroing in on American "sex tourists" who could find law enforcement picking them up from the airport when they get home.
Operation "Twisted Traveler" was set up under the PROTECT Act of 2003, strengthening penalties for child-related crimes such as abduction and producing pornography. The act establishes an international age of consent at 16 as well as making it a crime to pay someone under 18 for sex; Americans who break the law can be tried and convicted back at home.
The first three suspects arrested under the international provision of the law were nabbed in Cambodia in February. All had served time for sex-related offenses in the U.S. before. The men have been charged with various crimes from enticing young boys with money and candy to visiting one of Phnom Penh's child brothels.
Proponents of the new laws say forcing offenders to register their homes aren't enough, because they can just as easily commit their crimes in places where local law enforcement isn't equipped to smoke them out. But the PROTECT Act also makes it a federal offense to assist a sex tourist in planning or procuring; as the net widens, tour operators accustomed to giving first-world visitors whatever they ask may be held accountable for their services.
Related Stories:
· A New Effort Cracks Down on Americans Who Travel Abroad to Have Sex with Children [CBS News]
· On Female Sex Tourism In Kenya [Jaunted]
· On A Proposal To Legalize Prostitution In Serbia [Jaunted]
[Photo of two of the charged men at LAX: Fox News]
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