A report by the regional branch of the office has claimed that Asian offenders are becoming prolific, while the integration of the Asean Economic Community AEC next year will bring even bigger risks to children. Jeremy Douglas, regional representative for the UNODC, said soft border restrictions between countries will make it easier for perpetrators to travel.
Intelligence indicates that a new child sex tourism industry is emerging in Myanmar since it became easier for visitors from within and outside Asia to visit the country, Mr Douglas said.
Evidence of how tourism corresponds with increases in child sexual exploitation suggests that many more young victims will be at risk as the region continues to develop, he added.
Total tourist arrivals into Asean are also projected to rise from 40 million in to million by The "Protecting the Future: Improving the Response to Child Sex Offending in Southeast Asia" report has not been released to the public but is being used to in regional police officers' training.
Mr Douglas said Caucasian males are seen as the stereotypical child sex offender, but studies show the number of Asian tourists who engage in child sexual exploitation outnumbered Western child sex offenders over the past year. Mr Douglas said regional authorities are currently failing to effectively share information about child sex offenders, while there are too many loopholes in the judicial process.
