Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism

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Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children
from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism

• United Nations Convention on the Rights of the
  Child (1989)Ratified by 191 nations
• Specifies the protection of minors below the age
  of 18 regardless of nationality.
• Sexual abuse of a child is a criminal act
  regardless of where the offence is committed.

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Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children
from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism

• Resolutions and recommendations by travel and
  tourism associations e.g. UFTAA, IHRA, IFTO,
  World Tourism Organization 
• Confirmation of the connection between tourism
  and sexual exploitation of minors

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Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children
from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism

• Declaration and Agenda for Action of the World
  Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation
  of Children, Stockholm, 1996
• Specifically mentioning the need for involvement
  of the travel and tourism industry

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Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children
from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism

• 1997 project idea of Code of Conduct including
  monitoring mechanism
• March 1998 first draft of project document
• April 1998 Fritidsresor Group approached and
  contract signed
• May-June 1998 finalisation of background
  document and five criteria in collaboration with
  UFTAA, WTO, IHRA, Fritidsresor Group and others
• August 1998 identification of pilot destinations
  for implementationDominican Republic, Thailand
  and Brazil
• September-December 1998 training of staff,
  drafting of contract clause

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Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children
from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism

• February 1999 Scandinavian Leisure Group
  approached and contract signed
• Pilot destinations Dominican Republic, Thailand
  and Cuba
• March 1999 Apollo approached and contract signed
• Pilot destinations Dominican Republic, Thailand
  and Sri Lanka
• April 1999 Joint press conference

95 of Swedish market and 75 of Nordic market
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Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children
from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism

• Evaluations of implementation at destinations
• Phuket, Thailand (March 2000)
• Puerto Plata, Sozua, Cabarete in the Dominican
  Republic (October 2000)
• Natal, Brazil (December 2000)
• Varadero, Cuba (April 2001)
• Goa, India (December 2002)

Outcome above expectation
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Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children
from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism
Pilot destinations

• Thailand
• Domican Republic
• Brazil
• Sri Lanka
• Goa, India
• Cuba

• Gambia
• Kenya
• Vietnam
• Bali, Indonesia
• Bulgaria
• Egypt

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Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children
from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism

• CC project partners
• ECPAT Sweden
• ECPAT Germany
• respect Austria
• ECPAT Italy
• ECPAT Netherlands
• ECPAT UK

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Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children
from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism

• To establish an ethical policy regarding
  commercial sexual exploitation of children
• To train the personnel in the country of origin
  and travel destinations
• To introduce a clause in contracts with
  suppliers, stating a common repudiation of
  commercial sexual exploitation of children
• To provide information to travelers by means of
  catalogues, brochures, in-flight films,
  ticket-slips, home pages, etc
• To provide information to local "key persons" at
  the destinations
• To report annually

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Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children
from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism

• Secretariat based at WTO, Madrid
• Web site www.thecode.org
• International Steering Committee