Prevalence[edit]
Prostitution of children exists in every country, though the problem is most severe in South America and Asia.
[24] The number of prostituted children is rising in other parts of the world, including North America, Africa, and Europe.
[24] Exact statistics are difficult to obtain,
[44] but it is estimated that there are around 10 million children involved in prostitution worldwide.
[1]
Note: this is a list of examples; it does not cover every country where child prostitution exists.
Country/location Number of children involved in prostitution Notes Ref(s)
Worldwide Up to 10,000,000
[1]
Australia 4,000
[45]
Bangladesh 10,000 – 29,000
[46]
Brazil 250,000 – 500,000
Brazil is considered to have the worst levels of child sex trafficking after Thailand.
[47]
Cambodia 30,000
[48][49]
Chile 3,700 The number of children involved in prostitution is believed to be on the decline.
[50]
Colombia 35,000 Between 5,000 and 10,000 are on the streets of
Bogotá.
[51]
Dominican Republic 30,000
[52]
Ecuador 5,200
[53]
Estonia 1,200
[54]
Greece 2,900 Over 200 are believed to be below the age of 12.
[55]
Hungary 500
[56]
India 1,200,000 In India, children account for 40% of people engaged in prostitution.
[57]
Indonesia 40,000 – 70,000 UNICEF states that 30% of the females in prostitution are below 18.
[58][59]
Malaysia 43,000 – 142,000
[60]
Mexico 16,000 – 20,000 Out of Mexico City’s 13,000
street children, 95% have already had at least one sexual encounter with an adult (many of them through prostitution).
Main article:
Child prostitution in Mexico
[61]
Nepal 200,000
[30]
New Zealand 210
[62]
Peru 500,000
[63]
Philippines 60,000 – 100,000
[64]
Sri Lanka 40,000 UNICEF states that 30% of the females in prostitution are below 18.
[65]
Taiwan 100,000
[63]
Thailand 200,000 – 800,000
Main article:
Child prostitution in Thailand
[60]
United States 100,000
[66][67]
Zambia 70,000
[68]
By 1999, it was reported that in
Argentina prostitution of children was increasing at an alarming rate and that the average age was decreasing. The
Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW) fact book says Argentina is one of the favored destinations of pedophile sex tourists from Europe and the United States.
[69] Argentina's Criminal Code criminalizes the prostitution of minors of eighteen years of age or younger,
[70] but it only sanctions those who "promote or facilitate" prostitution, not the client who exploits the minor.
[71]
Child prostitution - Wikipedia