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Rumeurs de pedophilie dans le quartier routard de Saigon...
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Child sex abuse in the backpackers’ area
Pedophiles, like convicted child sex offender Garry Glitter shown here being led into a HCMC court, prey on vulnerable child street vendors in HCMCThanh Nien reporter Vinh Bao investigates rumors of child sex in the HCMC Pham Ngu Lao area. In the last days of 2007, the New Year celebration has brought excitement to the backpackers’ area.
The darker it gets, the brighter the lights become, as if reflecting the many aspects of a society with a large community of foreigners.
In HCMC, there is a flipside to the excitement and vibrancy in the streets of Pham Ngu Lao, Bui Vien and De Tham in District 1 - social evils like drugs and child sex abuse.
A xe om (motorbike taxi) driver called T who has worked in the area for over 10 years said there were foreigners committing child sexual offences in Pham Ngu Lao.
“Child sex abuse in the back-packers’ area these days has become more sophisticated than before,” T said.
He said the offenders were foreigners and they targeted children between 10 and 15 who sold chewing gum, lottery tickets, or shined shoes.
“Some child sex workers are under ten years old,” T added.
“The children usually work from nightfall until midnight, and they sleep during the day.”
T arranged a meeting in a café with a young teenage girl called Z who would give us information.
She said child sex workers were available.
“The male foreigners are fond of boys and girls from 10 and up, shoe shiners or kids who peddle chewing gum and lottery tickets,” Z said.
She said men paid VND500,000 (US$31) for girls under 15 who were still virgins or VND300,000 ($19) or less if not a virgin.
Z identified a middle-aged man nearby and said, “That guy has tried to seduce me into having sex with him several times and I have refused. Some children in this area have often had sex with him.”
Z said young boys were also tar-gets and some of them had caught HIV.
A boy, 14, said he had had sex with men from France, Australia, Italy, Canada and the US
He was paid $10, he said, and he understood about HIV but he had no choice.
“It’s dangerous because it is incurable, and infected people will die soon; but how else can we make a living?” the 14-year-old said.
The police were aware of the problem and had spoken to some of the children.
“About a month ago, we caught more than 10 children working as lottery and chewing gum vendors and shoe shiners who we suspected of dealing drugs and being sex workers,” Pham Ngu Lao Ward Sheriff Lieutenant-Colonel Nguyen Huu Tai said.
“It’s very hard to catch them red-handed because there is a deal between the children and the foreigners. We have planned to cooperate with relevant agencies like the people’s committee and the women’s association to organize meetings and teach children about HIV/AIDS,” the sheriff added.
“The situation will only get bet-ter with everyone’s support, including hotels in the area,” Tai concluded.
With a new year starting, many things will change, but without something being done, those children will continue in the same way without knowing what could hap-pen to them in the future.
Reported by Vinh Bao
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