Bali is getting an unfortunate reputation as being a destination for pedophiles, especially since an Australian man is being investigated over sexually abusing eight child victims on the island.
But Gede Yuniartha Putra, the head of Bali’s Provincial Tourism Office, is saying loud and clear that Bali is not some sort of gathering place nor a hot spot for pedophiles. Not all foreigners who come to Bali are pedophiles and pedophilia happens outside of Bali as well, he told Tribun Bali.
“I do not think so, not like that. It’s just foreign travelers. Not everyone says that, because pedophilia is not only happening in Bali, can be outside Bali,” Putra said.
Counter to what Putra is saying, the Chairman of the National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas PA), Arist Merdeka Sirait said that Bali is like heaven for international pedophiles. This statement was apparently based on records that revealed a number of foreign sexual offenders taking up residence in Bali.
