The child sex trade has been traditionally identified with underdeveloped third-world countries; particularly in Southeast Asia, where the cheap prices, ready availability of underage prostitutes and lax law enforcement have attracted Western sex tourists. However, the child sex trade is ever present in even the most civilised and advanced countries, and is an age-old problem that has long been underestimated. Thomas Sancton, in his article "Preying on the Young" intends to expose the brutality of the child sex trade, bringing to the attention the reader the globularity of the pornography that exploits children's innocence. He also expresses his disgust towards...
his feelings of repulsion towards the perversity and immorality of people that commit sex offences on young children.

Photos of young girls preparing to hit the streets and sell their bodies, and photos from an internet website frame the article, giving the reader the impression that the author is trying to prove them to look innocent- the reader will see the photograph, and their initial reaction will be, "She's so young and innocent, but look at what she is forced to do for a living." It is designed to provoke the reader's sympathy for the victims of child pornography.