Disney World employees at centre of child sex scandal

Washington - Dozens of employees at Florida amusement parks, including Disney World, have been arrested in recent years for sex crimes involving children, according to an investigation by broadcaster CNN.

A Disney spokesperson confirmed the arrests to dpa on Tuesday. Police and court documents show at least 42 arrests since 2006 of amusement park employees, including 35 from Disney World in Orlando, Florida, two SeaWorld employees and five employees of Universal Studios amusement park.

Those arrested included security officers, tour guides, a costumer, salesmen in gift shops and others.

None of the unrelated cases involved guests at the parks. Several of the arrests involved possession of child pornography or police sting operations in which men solicited sex with people they believed were minors.

Disney spokesperson Jacquee Wahler stressed the park's commitment to keeping children safe and noted extensive background checks on employees. "Providing a safe environment for children and families is a responsibility we take very seriously," she told dpa.

"The numbers reported by CNN represent one one-hundredth of 1 per cent of the 300 000 people we have employed during this time period."

Disney World employs 70 000 people at its resort in Florida.