CHILD SEX TRADE RISES IN CENTRAL AMERICA

According to children's right advocates, the sexual exploitation of girls and boys, mostly by American men, has reached alarming proportion in Central America.  They say the region is now a priority in their struggle against child prostitution and pornography.  Traditional destinations for such activity, chiefly Thailand and Philippines, have blunted the sex tourism business over the last two years by enacting public awareness campaigns and stricter laws and enforcement measures is a major reason for growth in the Central American child-sex trade.  The number of prostitution among children who live and work on the street of Latin America has been estimated at up to 40 million and has long been a consequence of the region's poverty.