Nairobi — At least 1,500 children engage in sex tourism daily along the Kenyan coast. This is according to a damning new report released by the United Nations Children's Education Fund (Unicef).

And contrary to prior perceptions that the sex pests involved in the vice are only foreign tourists, the report indicates that 40 per cent of those exploiting the children are crooked Kenyan men.

Most of those involved - mainly Kenyans, Italians and Germans - do not use condoms, exposing the children to Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), including HIV/Aids, and teenage pregnancies.

According to the shocking report, most foreigners prefer anal sex to normal heterosexual intercourse.

Kenyan men the largest single client base

Of all the minors engaged in child sex tourism, 65 per cent come from the Coast Province while the rest (35 per cent) travel from Central, Western and Eastern Provinces, the report said.

The report is based on a survey conducted by the Government and Unicef. It was released at a Nairobi hotel on Tuesday by the Vice President Mr Moody Awori.

Rating Kenyan men as the largest single client base for this exploitative behaviour, the report notes that the children also provide sexual services to hotel workers and beach boys as a "bribe" to gain access to tourists.

Seventy five per cent of those interviewed during the survey indict Kenyans more than they do foreigners.

A big majority of interviewees accepted the practice of child sex tourism as "normal and tolerable" with some of them approving the vice outright.

Only 20 per cent of those interviewed thought the behaviour - which sees thousands of children at the coast's hotspots every night - immoral.

Kenyans, Italians and Germans have lowest rate of condom use

Close to 60 per cent of those interviewed approved of boys' involvement in sex tourism either as beach boys, pimps and middlemen or engaging in the sex itself.

The report estimates that between 10,000 and 15,000 girls in the coastal areas of Mombasa, Malindi, Kilifi and Kwale are involved in routine sex tourism.

"The number of children engaging in sex tourism as a fulltime-year-round commercial activity is much lower at a figure of 2,000 to 3,000," the report says.

According to the report, Kenyans, Italians and Germans have the lowest rate of condom use.

"No condom was used during 32 per cent of all penetrative sex acts and 42 per cent of all acts of anal sex," it noted.

Among the tourists, Italian (18 per cent), German (14 per cent) and Swiss (12 per cent) men were ranked the top three nationalities seeking sex with underage female sex workers with Ugandans and Tanzanians following closely.

"The existence of a local demand for child sex workers sustains the sex tourist market during the low seasons or tourist market fluctuations," said the report.

Findings described as "shocking reality"

The children are paid between Sh1,000 and Sh5,000 for the exploitation by the adults as compared to Sh120 they would earn every day for casual labour.

While launching the report, Awori described the findings as the "shocking reality", noting that the numbers continue to grow to horrific levels around the coastal region.

"Our society is morally decaying and fast degenerating in its social fabric," he said.

"We are reminding all Kenyans that children have a need and a right to be children even if a girl has matured physically by age 13, she is still immature intellectually and emotionally until she is 18 years old," he said.

Awori said that children who are exploited for sex should not be treated as criminals but as victims who need care and understanding.

The VP warned that the law against sexual exploitation of children should apply equally to everyone including the tourists. He said the Children's Act is now being reviewed to improve on its provisions.

"Let our police and the communities not protect people who are exploiting our children," he warned.

No-go zone for sexual exploiters of children

Awori said the Government now requires all foreigners to state their residential address in Kenya before being allowed into the country in order to combat the exploitation of children by tourists.

Unicef Kenya representative, Mr Heimo Laakkonen said it was shocking to learn that Kenyans top the list of child abusers.

Despite the shocking statistics, said Laakkonen, there was still hope if all concerned worked together against child sex tourism.

"Tourists and Kenyans who abuse children must be arrested, brought to trial and punished," he said.

"We must also scale up programmes promoting responsible tourism, expand endorsement of the code of conduct which binds hoteliers and their staff to report the abuse and suspected abuse of children on their premises," the Unicef boss added.

He said tourists should be made aware from their points of origin that Kenya is a no-go zone for sexual exploiters of children.