Bangkok--Dec 6--eTurboNews
The online bookseller, Amazon, has defended the sale on its website of a book described as a tourist guide for child sex abusers.
The book gives recommended locations, exact addresses, and even includes phone numbers for child abuse contacts in at least 20 countries around the world.
The existence of the book came to light in a report on the Today program on BBC Radio. The BBC invited Amazon to respond and the company issued a statement defending its position.
"To the best of our knowledge, the title in this case is not banned, although it has been out of print since 1997, and is only offered by third-party sellers," said Amazon.
"Where a book isn't banned, Amazon.co.uk will stock the title, as we do not believe we have the right to act as a censor, however that does not mean we endorse that title's content."
The campaigning organization, ECPAT UK (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and the Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes), has protested to Amazon about making the book available on the Internet.
Speaking on the radio program, ECPAT UK chief executive, Christine Beddoe said there was no doubt that sex offenders were traveling abroad, abusing children and escaping the law. Information circulating on the Internet was making it easier for paedophiles to find out where to go.
"The internet itself has opened up a much bigger opportunity for sex offenders to communicate where they want to go, how much it is to abuse children, who to see, who to call, and it frightens me to see how easily this is accessed on both the internet and through hard cover," she said.
"We'll certainly be questioning Amazon about its social responsibility attitude to this sort of material."
In a further statement, Amazon was unrepentant, and had no intention of dropping the book from its online sale pages, and indicated that it was a matter of reader's choice.
"Our position on stocking controversial titles is summed up accurately in the comment we gave to the BBC. Amazon seeks to stock the widest choice of reading available.
"We won't stock illegal titles, but otherwise we don't believe we have the right to act as a censor and decide what people may or may not read.
"While there are undoubtedly titles on our sites containing unpleasant material, this does not mean that Amazon endorses this content. It's also worth noting that where these titles are listed, there are often numerous other titles listed providing the alternative view."
The problem of child sex tourism has been highlighted in Britain recently by the case of a celebrity. The former pop singer Gary Glitter was jailed for four months in Britain for possession of child pornography on his computer. He has since fled the UK and took refuge in Cuba, but moved on to Cambodia from where he was expelled when he was recognized. He is now in police custody in Vietnam facing a charge of sexually abusing an 12-year old girl.
ECPAT UK said many more child abusers were traveling unrecognized, often to less developed countries for the specific purpose of child sex, and these countries did not have sufficient police resources to track them down or end the trade of purveyors of child sex to tourists.
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