Nicaragua's Chamber of Tourism (Canatur) on Wednesday announced a plan to fight the sexual exploitation of minors in the nation.

The plan will target hotels, travel agencies, car rental offices, taxis, bars, restaurants, to stop minors from selling sexual services to tourists, said Judith Acevedo, the executive secretary of Canatur.

"Central American nations' tourism institutions are aware that in recent years the commercial sexual exploitation of children has got worse," Acevedo told reporters.

Maria Rivas, head of the country's Tourism Agency, Intur, said that Intur would shut down and fine businesses that offer or tolerate the child sex trade under a law approved by the country's legislators.

Intur, Canatur, the Inter-University Council on Tourism and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) signed agreements on fighting child sexual exploitation in November 2004.

The move was part of an older region-wide plan supported by UNICEF and the Italian government's aid agency -- The Central-American Isthmus Strategy for Fighting Child Abuse and Commercial Sex Trade in Minors.

Source: Xinhua