Glorene Das from Tenaganita, who has been working closely with government agencies on the issue, said there are several reasons for this.
“One reason is the belief that children are free from sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV and AIDS. Children are seen to be unlike older sex workers who have had intercourse many times,” she told FMT.
She said there were also men who think that having sex with virgins will improve their sexual health.
She added that human trafficking syndicates use children because they were seen as long-term investments.
Glorene was commenting on a report that four teenage immigrants who came to Sabah with their families in search of work had been forced into the sex trade.
The four – three girls and a boy aged between 15 and 18 – were rescued after they were detained in a raid on an entertainment outlet near Kota Kinabalu on Feb 7.
Police said the victims, who worked as guest relations officers, were forced to provide sexual services to clients.
Glorene said the situation in Sabah is worrying due to the state’s attraction as a tourist destination drawing foreigners looking for sex, as well as the existence of stateless children who are vulnerable to human traffickers.
But Peninsular Malaysia is no different, said Glorene. She said the child sex trade here is equally rampant, and mostly involves migrant children and teenagers.
“They are brought in from Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and we have rescued girls as young as 16 years old,” Glorene said.
Students from colleges and universities in the country were also being trafficked to other countries, she said, adding that Malaysia was not only a destination for traffickers, but also a source country.
“It comes down to the fact that there is a huge demand. If there is no demand there wouldn’t be a supply.
“As long as there is demand, traffickers will do anything to bring in the people. And you know the sex industry is a billion dollar industry.”
Glorene said the government’s work under the Anti-Human Trafficking and Anti-Migrant Smuggling Council (Mapo) must continue.
“We hope to continue working with the government through Mapo in improving the redress mechanism for survivors.”