It is estimated that two million children are enslaved in the global commercial sex trade. Many of these children are either sold into prostitution to pay off family debts or forcibly recruited on the street to work in brothels, where they are required to have sex with as many as 30 men each day. Some prostituted children are just 5 years old.

United States citizens are among those from several wealthy countries who exploit children trapped in the commercial sex trade and fuel a demand for younger children. Some Americans take advantage of prostituted children while traveling to impoverished countries for business, tourism and other legitimate reasons. Others travel abroad specifically for a "sex tour."

Sex tourists travel to countries such as Cambodia, Thailand, Costa Rica, Mexico and Brazil, expecting anonymity, low-cost prostitution, easily accessible children and impunity from prosecution. Notably, it is estimated that one-third of the prostitutes in Cambodia are children.

The United States has laws that prohibit sex with minors in other countries and has greatly increased government efforts to combat this problem. Under the Protect Act of 2003, United States citizens or residents who engage in sexual activity abroad with a child under 18 can face 30 years in a U.S. prison. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is now actively investigating American sex tourists abroad and making arrests.

Sexually exploited children are severely wounded physically and emotionally. Many acquire diseases such as HIV/AIDS, and almost all experience rejection by their families and communities in addition to fear, shame and despair. U.S. citizens account for an estimated 25% of child sex tourists worldwide.