This complex social phenomenon (younger and younger sex trade demographics) inevitably fosters the development of subcultures; i.e. internet child porn providers and consumers, sexual tourism, active critics and organizations. The unfortunate children who are involved in these markets not only experience a faster sexual development; they are thrown into abusive cycles of sex, drugs, and alcohol; their consumption of these addictive substances is used to anesthetize their physical or psychological suffering. And even though high mortality rates are due in part to extreme climates and epidemics for a significant part of the globe, STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) are currently some of the mayor factors.
Formerly, in native cultures,
There were certain reasons to opt for a young rather than old female. One of them is that marriages with young pubescent girls were conceded in order for the rich to maximize the number of heirs –and consequently his reign-, and for the poor to maximize the labor capacity. This condition was the basis for the emergence of polygamy. Another reason is that extreme climates and mainly unhygienic conditions provoked high mortality indexes which in turn motivated marriage at younger ages. Therefore, sexual initiation in adolescence was seen as a necessary rite, a passage into adulthood; the boy would beinstructed in the manners to please and satiate the sexual appetite, to take care of his extra-sensible sexual organs. This rite would signify the first step of his responsibility towards the couple and his further offspring.
And then
Up to the Middle Ages, children were considered little adults with the same capabilities to perform hard labor (Brissette). It was common for the rich man to have slaves from which he would make use of at his disposal. Women, regardless of age or status, would also be compelled to satisfy the urges of men without reproach.
In the last few centuries,
Our socio-political system has been stratifying us, depriving us from our resources for survival, and making us slaves of economy and its supporting ideologies through the fostering of a consumerism driven society. The introduction of media technology in our lives has been allowing us massive absorption of knowledge; the media’s preference however, in emphasizing the “sensationalist bits” of news rather than presenting the complete context of the issues, has fomented an apprehensive and close-minded society, uneasy to accept other perspectives.
As to social responses---
The claims of the population about considering certain societal categories in need of protection, due to physical and/or mental vulnerability, have been crucial for the proclamation of laws and the construction of associations that protect children rights. Currently, children are legally and socially determined to be asexual; any offense to child innocence has become a taboo in Western society. On the other hand, developing countries have incorporated this sort of illicit “businesses” into their capital economy, as well as creating the “blind policies” that protect them.
This Era of Consumerism has assigned everything a connotation of desire (“the must have”), transforming children, in just another product fabricated by the industries to satiate the whims of the consumer. Since everything is now privatized, the product is no longer the object (the object does no longer appertain to his/her creator), rather we have increased the value of the object in account of the labor, the wish of society in having it, the quality and quantity of its functionality, its fetish. Prostitutes are now considered fetishes of erotism; they are the object of desire, and a complex one. Children are drawn into sex markets as commodities. Society has incorporated “sex” into every aspect of regular life to an extent that we have become an oversexed society: sex with children has become the “the ultimate” sexual experience that you can pay for as a bona-fide commodity. A close friend of mine has lived in Thailand for a number of years. He has informed me that one can rent a whole family for any period of time and use them to one’s own disposal (even to make them have sex with you).
Bibliography
Brissette, Emily. (2001). Schooling is Optional…Learning is Natural. Sociological. Perspectives Journal. UNH. Community. Vol. VII, No.1 (http://pubpages.unh.edu/~cliffb/Perspectives/PerspVol7.html)
