Counter Pedophilia Investigate Unit

Australians make up the largest portion of foreign sex offenders against children in Thailand, according to a study.

Researchers at the John Hopkins University in Baltimore studied patterns of arrests and prosecutions between 1995 and 2006 as part of a plan to tackle the $36.6bn industry in child sex trafficking.

Bernadette McMenamin, CEO of Child Wise Australia, said child sex trafficking remains a hidden problem that most Australians have become complacent about.

“People tell us, ‘It happens overseas. Isn’t that an issue we talked about years ago?’ “But what we’ve found is that … the supply and demand factors fuelling child sex slavery have actually grown,” she said.

Ms McMenamin said most Australians view the price of petrol as a greater concern than the welfare of foreign children.

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