The international responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have a massive impact on the travel and tourism industry itself. At the same time, push factors that facilitate or lead to sexual exploitation of children, including the economic vulnerability of families have intensified. With people financially struggling due to the crisis, the circumstances are there to allow child sex offenders to gain trust and access their victims more easily than ever before, both online or through physical domestic and foreign travel. Sexual exploitation of children in the context of travel and tourism has not stopped with the closure of borders and travel restrictions. Travelling child sex offenders keep adapting their modus operandi when opportunities arise, contexts change and technologies evolve. There is evidence that transnational child sex offenders may transition their offending to an online environment and follow it up with travel to directly sexually abuse the same victims when travel restrictions are relaxed, therefore it is highly recommended to protect victims overseas.[1]
[1] Interpol, 2020. Threats and trends. Child sexual exploitation and abuse. COVID-19 Impact.