The sexual exploitation of children is growing at an alarming rate and now affects millions of children across the globe. The Indonesian government, UNICEF, local and international NGOs and Microsoft Corp. met in Bali last week to discuss this pressing issue. The Jakarta Post's Rita A. Widiadana and contributor Wasti Atmodjo look at the issue in the following articles.

"Ketut Astika", a fifth grader in East Bali, was surprised when a middle-aged Western man visited his small house in a hilly area of Karang Asem regency, some 100 kilometers east of the provincial capital Denpasar. The boy quickly grew alarmed when he saw half-naked and naked pictures of himself that the man had downloaded from the Internet. He was a sexual predator and had traveled thousands of kilometers in search of poor boys on the exotic island of Bali, which has become a hot spot for child sex tourism.

Sexual predators have taken advantage of the rise in the Internet to locate targets and form virtual communities where they can share information. There are ample websites featuring pictures of children in sexual positions, and tips from predators on where to find children.

Ketut is just one of hundreds or perhaps thousands of boys and girls in Bali prostituted by their parents, aunts, uncles or strangers to serve foreign tourists traveling to the island.

His pictures are among an estimated 1.5 million images of children as young as 18 months posted on websites catering to pedophiles. The easy availability on the Internet of these images and information on the children has helped facilitate child sex tourism.

Lenient punishments, weak law enforcement and a lack of commitment on the part of the government to tackle the sexual exploitation of minors has made Bali and other places in Indonesia a haven for foreign sexual offenders preying on youngsters.

A recent meeting was held in Bali to address these problems and determine how the Indonesian government, NGOs and international organizations can work together to eliminate all forms of exploitation against children.

The sexual exploitation of children can involve the following: the possession, manufacture and distribution of child pornography, online enticement of children for sexual acts, child prostitution, child sex tourism and the sexual molestation of children.

Anna-Karin Jatfors, a child protection expert at the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Indonesia, said the Indonesian government, UNICEF, NGOs and law enforcers had enough information to determine that child sexual exploitation was a major and growing issue. She said there was evidence of criminal syndicates operating throughout the country and Asia.

"Monitoring the extent of the problem is very difficult as it is a criminal and underground activity." Bali, she said, as one of the world's top tourist destinations, was at great risk of sex tourism.

"We only have to walk through Kuta or any other tourist area at night to see for ourselves the many young girls working on the street or in many of the clubs, karaoke bars or even hotels operating in the area."

In Indonesia, about 30 percent of the 40,000 to 70,000 commercial sex workers are children aged between 12 and 17. This figure has risen significantly in the last few years.

Ahmad Sofian from the Indonesian organization End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and the Trafficking of Children (ECPAT), said that tourism had both positive and negative effects on the country.

Every year, around five to six million foreign visitors come to the country, bringing much needed foreign currency. While most are legitimate tourists, some of these visitors arrive in the country intent on preying on Indonesian children.