In 2002, Cheryl Perera, then 16, travelled to her native Sri Lanka with a clear mission in mind: to educate herself on the plight of exploited children around the world. With a video camera in hand and her identity concealed, she stepped inside dolomite factories and left with images of young children working at jobs meant for people twice their age.

Perera’s interest in the issue of child exploitation did not stop there. She wanted to learn about the child sex trade industry. Her search led her to the National Child Protection Authority of Sri Lanka, and in collaboration with them, Perera herself posed as a decoy child prostitute in an undercover operation.

Her risk was well worth it. The operation led to the successful arrest of a 40-year-old pedophile. “He was married with two kids,” recalled Perera, “and was the Assistant Finance Manager for a multinational corporation.”

Perera’s experience is a testament to the nature of the international child sex tourism industry, a malicious, multi-million dollar system that abuses approximately 2 million children daily. The perpetrators are usually “Everyday, well off guys,” noted Perera.

This ‘industry’ spreads from the beaches of Sri Lanka all the way home. “It does exist in Canada,” said Perera, “but not to the extent that it does in other countries. For example, there’s a place called Kiddy Stroll in Vancouver where people can find child prostitutes. The public is misled [into thinking that we do not have a problem]. Toronto, Vancouver, the U.S… [are not immune].”

But the big question is: what is being done about it? In 1997 and 2002, sections C-27 and C-15A of the Canadian Criminal Code came into effect. These laws now allow the arrest of Canadian sex offenders both abroad and nationally. Other countries have adopted similar laws, with penalties ranging from long-term prison sentences to death penalties. In Canada, sexually exploiting a child might get someone the severe sentence of up to 14 years in prison.

Awareness is also highly important. Brazil, Italy, Sweden, and India, to name a few, have made noteworthy investments in various awareness campaigns that include brochures regarding the country’s laws on child sexual exploitation in ticket jackets, as well as hotlines.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) partnered with World Vision and joined Operation Predator. They provide funding for World Vision’s “Child Sex Tourism Prevention Project”, aiming to deter potential child sex tourists, and also aid U.S. law enforcement agencies in their work to identify and convict offenders.

As for Perera, the invaluable role she played in the arrest of the offender in Sri Lanka earned her the position of President’s Nominee on Child Protection, a permanent placement on the Presidential Secretariat, at the age of 17. She returned to Canada, and after countless hours of research and contemplation, decided to start a youth-driven educational initiative and attempt to have the Canadian Travel and Tourism Industry take action against child sex tourism.

Together with hundreds of Canadian youth all fighting for the same cause, Perera formed OneChild, a registered nonprofit organization, in July 2005. Their first major accomplishment came when they convinced Air Canada to show their youth-created video on the issue on board all of the outbound international flights, and they have been going strong ever since.

Perera, now 20, has travelled to many parts of the world, including Ecuador, Macedonia, and Nicaragua to address the problem. She has spoken to thousands of youth, informing them of this urgent issue, and has addressed government bodies, educators, and business groups on the importance of volunteerism, social activism, and the state of the child sex tourism industry.

Perera’s latest trip was to the Philippines this past summer, where she and other youth members of OneChild worked in collaboration with the People’s Recovery, Empowerment and Development Assistance Foundation, Inc. (PREDA) to further research the issue and where OneChild will direct funds to build a rehabilitation centre for rescued children. The centre will provide emotional expression therapy, family therapy, formal and informal education, and, most importantly, a safe place where vulnerable and tortured children can try to pick up the pieces of their lost childhoods.

OneChild is a strong example of a young person caring enough to educate herself and take action. “Research, educate yourselves, fundraise...The best thing that anyone can do right now is spread the word,” stressed Perera.

OneChild has participated in a documentary on the child sex tourism industry, which will be released in January 2007. For more on OneChild visit www.one-child.ca.

- Tasnia Basit is a resident of Markham and is in Grade 12 at Middlefield Collegiate Institute.