Very often, poverty is cited as the root of sex tourism and the commercial sexual exploitation of young girls in Central America as well as in South-East Asia. Although poverty is not a determining factor for prostitution and sexual exploitation this forms of violence are associated with high poverty levels.  One of the Central America striking characteristics and most critical problems is its poverty.  In fact, according to Unicef reports the number of poor persons in Latin America has grown in the past two decades. This means that thousand of people, especially women and children cannot meet basic survival needs like food and shelter.

Poverty drives many families to desperate measure such selling their female children into prostitution and thousand of women and young girls are forced to prostitution in order to save their lives from misery and starvation.  Last year the Human Rights Committee of the United Nations expressed its "concerned at the high incidence of commercial sexual exploitation of children in Costa Rica, related to Tourism". According to some estimates the commercial sexual exploitation of children in Costa Rica could involve as many 5,000 so called sex tourists visiting the country each year. However, after being in the international spotlight for the increased of child sex tourism cases with even reports in ABC, CNN and other media, the government haven't made much effort to protect their youth. In Honduras according to the reports presented Casa Alianza, , a non profit advocacy group for street children in Mexico and Central America, some 5,000 street children are exposed to the danger of being involved in sex tourism (IHNFA, 1999).

In Guatemala, there are about 150,000 orphans  and 50,000 widows, mostly indigenous people, as a result of violence and armed conflict that have infected Guatemalan society for decades. Most of these orphans are in refugee's camps and orphanages or in the streets. Twenty to 30 per cent of the street children are females between the ages of 10 to 17, who have been abused or abandoned by their families.  How they survive? Beside robbery, begging and using drugs to forget the hunger, one of the main source of income for these young girls is prostitution.  However, many of them do not volunteer to prostitute themselves rather they are victims of sexual exploitation by hundreds of brothel that exist in Central American countries.  According to Unicef, in Brazil, around 100,000 children live and work on the streets and many of them are victims of sexual exploitation. In Colombia, between 5,000 to 7,00 children under the ages of 18 were linked to forced prostitution. In Paraguay, 65% of all women involved in prostitution are minors - less than 16 years old.  And in the Dominican Republic 2.5% of the country's entire population between the ages of 10 and 18 work in prostitution (ECPAT, 1996).

As you can see this is a real problem and needs to be stopped now. The sexual exploitation and forced prostitution of young girls with the simple purpose of maintaining the growing industry of sex tourism in Central America is without a doubt another form of violence against women and children. There is a great need to create conscience in our people about the importance of safeguard our girls rights and integrity.  There is also a great need for education and legislation. Education gives girls choices, knowledge and control over their life.  Central American governments need to enforce their laws against sexual exploitation of girls and provide them with rehabilitation and support for the victims.