Members of the country's diplomatic corps are accused of sexual abuse of Asian children
CHILD sex tourism in Asia is not new. But when a senior Australian diplomat is allegedly involved, the matter becomes a bit sticky. And when, suddenly, there appears an avalanche of media reports involving the Department of Foreign Affairs, it begins to look like a conspiracy. But is it?
On April 30, 1996, a former ambassador to Cambodia, John Scott Holloway, 53, was charged with having sexual intercourse with a person under 16 years of age in Phnom Penh. Described as a Cambodia expert with a rare insight into the complicated political situation in the country, the allegation has certainly stained Holloway's high-profile diplomatic career. Not only did Canberra rely on his knowledge of the region, he was also seconded as adviser to Cambodia's Foreign Minister, Prince Norodom Sirivuddh, in 1994, under an Australian aid project. Holloway also held the position of first assistant secretary at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The senior diplomat has been vehemently denying the charges, which he believes were motivated by disaffected persons with whom he had unfortunate dealings while he was posted in Cambodia.
The federal police have charged Holloway under the Child Sex Tourism Act, a new law introduced by the previous government which allows Australians to be charged at home for alleged sexual offences committed overseas. The law provides up to 17 years of imprisonment for those convicted. In April, a 44-year-old Sydney man was the first person to be jailed under the new leg-islation. Identified only as ARC, the man was sentenced to a minimum of six years for several sexual offences against minors, including committing acts of indecency against a five-year-old Filipino girl.
In another case, the police are searching for an ex-diplomat who was once posted in Indonesia. According to one Australian newspaper, 'Bill', as he is referred to, was sent home in disgrace 12 years ago when he was accused of throwing loud parties with young boys in an embassy home in Jakarta. According to the report, the alleged junior diplomat quit his job in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra last year and moved to the island of Lombok in Indonesia just as the Australian Federal Police began to investigate allegations of child sex abuse among Australian diplomats. In Lombok, he apparently turned his attention to 12-year-old boys, buying them gifts in return for sexual favours. 'Bill' has since disappeared.
Lombok is also reported to be the hideout of another alleged child molester by the name of Robert 'Dolly' Dunn. A former schoolteacher, Dunn had given evidence about police corruption to the New South Wales Royal Commission investigating pae-dophilia in the state, and then disappeared. Dunn was allegedly spotted in the company of the former diplomat around Lombok.
A royal commission is considered the most powerful independent investigative body in Australia. In the past, royal commissions have investigated aboriginal deaths in custody, drug syndicates and the effects of Agent Orange on Australians in Vietnam. According to observers, the public is getting its first glimpse of paedophiles and the networks within which they function. It is believed that the Royal Commission will provide a window on the rest of Australia and will not deal with the problem as exclusive to New South Wales.
In the wake of the numerous allegations of child sex abuse, the Australian Immigration Department has been criticised for providing visas to children from overseas, particularly from Asia, being adopted by single men. Henceforth, the department is expected to consult with the federal police as well as the Department of Health and Family Services to try to prevent an influx of children into the country for sexual abuse.
The accusations come at a time when the Howard Administration is eager to put its best foot forward in developing ties with Asia. In a recent interview with Australian television, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer promised to initiate a full independent inquiry into the matter. "In the six weeks that I have been foreign minister, goodness knows how many different allegations have come out of relationships between diplomats, or former diplomats typically, and paedophilic activity in years gone by," Downer said. "I owe it to the Australian public to make sure that these things are properly investigated. And I owe it to the Australian diplomatic service to make sure that its good name is upheld and these matters are dealt with as quickly and effectively as possible, so we can put them behind us."
According to the Melbourne Age , diplomats have pointed to a tendency in the Department of Foreign Affairs to cover up such allegations because ratting on a colleague means putting one's own career at risk. The National Director of End Child Prostitution in Asian Tourism (ECPAT), Bernadette MacMenamin, says child abuse allegations had been surfacing in the diplomatic corps since the 1980s, but attempts at investigations at the time were halfhearted. And while there has been a steady stream of media reports in recent months, MacMenamin reckons that some may be exaggerated: "I don't know how extensive the sexual abuse by diplomats is. I don't necessarily believe that it is as extensive as some of the reports have made it out to be. I hope it is not a witch hunt. I hope it's not some sort of conspiracy going on in the background to destroy the character of people who have obviously served Australia."바카라 웹사이트
One of the most damning allegations was the claim that an Australian-funded school in Phnom Penh was being used to keep up a supply of boys and girls for paedophilic activities. The Australian Centre for Education, which receives hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, has branches in three Cambodian provinces. It is alleged that Australian diplomats went on weekend trips with some schoolchildren and used them for their own sexual pleasure. In response to a query, the Cambodian embassy in Canberra said it has strongly protested against the alleged paedophilic activities in Cambodia and has asked the Australian government to investigate this matter "very carefully and succinctly".
But even if the federal police are called in to investigate paedophilia in the school, MacMenamin says it is extremely difficult to convict someone. As she points out, "Most abuse occurs with someone who knows the child. The child often does not report the abuse. (The abuser) may get into a position of power with the child." Hence, MacMenamin is sceptical of the government's plan to get to the bottom of the problem. "Just an internal public service inquiry is insufficient, they need experts in the area and the inquiry needs to have a broad term of reference," she says.
However, not all countries are depending on Australia's extra-territorial legislation to solve the problem. Recently in the Philippines, a 66-year-old former businessman from Brisbane became the first Australian to be convicted of child abuse by an Asian court.
Victor Keith Fitzgerald was sentenced to 17 years and four months in jail for inviting young girls aboard his private boat and then molesting them. According to the judge at the regional court in Olongapo, Fitzgerald had lured a child onto his boat with promises of food, clothing and money, and then forced her to have sex with him. The girl, who reportedly suffered psychological trauma as a result of the molestation, has been awarded damages of about 2,500 Australian dollars. Child protection activists say Fitzgerald is the first foreigner to be jailed for paedophilia in the Philippines, though more than 200 have been charged in the last few years.
바카라 웹사이트According to NGO estimates, between 60,000-100,000 children are involved in the sex industry in the Philippines. The notorious US naval presence at the Subic Bay combined with poverty and a thriving tourist industry have made it possible for child hawkers to sell sex on the beaches, on the streets and, of course, in brothels.
Although child sex tourism has for many years been a booming business in countries like Thailand and the Philippines, it is still considered to be a cottage industry when compared to prostitution. Though thousands of businessmen, sportsmen and other professionals travel to Asia every year and partake of the cheaply available sex, very few are paedophiles.
바카라 웹사이트In recent weeks, teachers, clergy and businessmen have been accused of the crime in Australia. Not only are there a number of agents at work to unveil paedophiles, and no one can deny the sensational impact of the media, the government also considers the problem big enough to initiate a major crack down.