Sexual tourism growing in Mexico

Experts attending a UNICEF conference in Mexico City say that at least fifteen-thousand children in Mexico are sexually exploited.

One academic, Richard Estes, from the University of Pennsylvania, said thousands of adults cross the border daily into Mexico looking for cheap sex with under-age prostitutes.

He said in most cases the Mexican authorities take no action as they do not want to lose the income brought in by tourists.

Mr Estes urged the Mexican and US governments to reach an agreement on prosecuting US nationals seeking sex with under-age Mexicans. The conference is aimed at exploring ways of combatting the growing sexual trade in minors in Mexico, the United States and Canada.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service