Legislators have been urged to scrap the criminal charge of sex with an underage prostitute to prevent pedophiles from escaping harsh sentences.

After a spate of child abuse scandals nationwide, legal experts and NGOs have put the spotlight on how courts can better protect young people.

One of the first moves, many say, should be to change the law so that anyone who has sex with a child is charged with rape, rather than the situation now when the accused can claim the victim is an under age prostitute.