TIJUANA, Mexico, April 4 (UPI) -- Child prostitution in the U.S.-Mexico border city of Tijuana is a growing problem receiving little government attention, El Universal reported Monday.
Jorge Bedoya Lopez, director of the San Diego, Calif.-based Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition, said there is a lack of funding and appropriate legislation at the local, state and federal levels to combat the problem.
A recent study of child sexual abuse in 100 Mexican cities estimated Tijuana was home to some 5,000 children "at-risk" of being forced into the sex trade, he said.
Mexico's legal system does not adequately support those who are subject to child prostitution and there are still no laws that explicitly address punishment of those who sexually exploit children, Bedoya Lopez said.
