Bali Alert over Aussy's Paedophiles Terror
An Australian rights group has said a growing number of paedophiles from Australia, Europe, and the US are travelling to Bali to abuse children.
Child Wise said paedophiles gained access to children by befriending their impoverished families.
A spokeswoman said "hundreds" of foreign paedophiles could be involved.
Bali, long seen as a tourist paradise, is still recovering from a devastating bombing in October 2002 which killed more than 200 people.
Child Wise national director Bernadette McMenamin told BBC News Online her group decided to investigate paedophile activity in Bali after the 2002 attacks, as it had learned from experience that paedophiles tended to target vulnerable communities.
She said the group found that child sex tourism was increasing in Bali, but that it was difficult to quantify exactly, or to say that the rise was directly connected to the bombings.
Child Wise's report, which was prepared for the authorities in Indonesia and Australia, said some of the child-sex offenders had moved to Bali, while others travelled there on organised sex tours.
The group's researcher, who spent six weeks in Bali, said foreign paedophiles were gaining access to children by getting to know their families, or offering money and gifts to street children.
"They embed themselves in communities where they feel safe and protected," said Ms McMenamin.
Indonesia has acknowledged that the island is vulnerable to child-sex offenders.
The report comes a month after a former Australian diplomat, William Brown, was arrested on child sex charges with two Balinese boys.
Child Wise said paedophiles gained access to children by befriending their impoverished families.
A spokeswoman said "hundreds" of foreign paedophiles could be involved.
Bali, long seen as a tourist paradise, is still recovering from a devastating bombing in October 2002 which killed more than 200 people.
Child Wise national director Bernadette McMenamin told BBC News Online her group decided to investigate paedophile activity in Bali after the 2002 attacks, as it had learned from experience that paedophiles tended to target vulnerable communities.
She said the group found that child sex tourism was increasing in Bali, but that it was difficult to quantify exactly, or to say that the rise was directly connected to the bombings.
Child Wise's report, which was prepared for the authorities in Indonesia and Australia, said some of the child-sex offenders had moved to Bali, while others travelled there on organised sex tours.
The group's researcher, who spent six weeks in Bali, said foreign paedophiles were gaining access to children by getting to know their families, or offering money and gifts to street children.
"They embed themselves in communities where they feel safe and protected," said Ms McMenamin.
Indonesia has acknowledged that the island is vulnerable to child-sex offenders.
The report comes a month after a former Australian diplomat, William Brown, was arrested on child sex charges with two Balinese boys.
