We`re very happy with the increased attention for child protection in tourism. Check out this article about WTM 2014:
Meeting the many challenges of child protection for tourism
Many of the issues we discuss in responsible tourism are focussed on minimising and avoiding the negative impacts of tourism and maximising the positive impacts. Child protection is different and in some ways more complicated. We have been addressing the issue on panels at WTM Responsible Tourism events in London, Sao Paulo and Cape Town over the last three years. On November 5th 2014 at World Responsible Tourism Day this year we shall be debating this issue at the widest level yet.
The issue of child protection is multifaceted. Paedophilia is what everyone thinks of when we talk about child protection and travel, and while it is a big, important issue it is only part of the challenge for the industry. We also need to consider the welfare of children travelling abroad with their families or alone; issues of child labour which arise around the industry and may include the children of families who offer accommodation in the formal or informal sectors; the safety of young people gap-yearing abroad; and child beggars who are often organised and exploited by unscrupulous Fagins, sometimes lurking behind the seemingly benign front of orphanages, which can also be used to organise child trafficking and paedophilia.
On November 5th we’ll be addressing at all these issues, and debating the motion: “This House believes that the tourism industry could do a good deal more to take responsibility for child protection and urges it to do so”. We’ll take a vote at the beginning and end of the session to see whether the discussion has changed any minds.
We are going to be discussing what the outbound industry can do to take responsibility for children neglected by the pool or abused by their parents whilst away from home. We’ll ask what advice should the industry give about child beggars and how to respond to them in the street. And we’ll question whether or not tourists should be visiting orphanages.
TUI’s Elise Allart receiving the award for overall winner at the World Responsible fromTourism Awards 2013.
It is a broad agenda for the travel and tourism industry and a particularly important one. You can follow some of the latest news on child protection and tourism on line at this dedicated Facebook page for Child Protection and Tourism
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Harold is Professor of Responsible Tourism at Manchester Metropolitan University, where he teaches and researches in the Centre for Responsible Tourism. Harold researches on tourism, local economic development and poverty reduction, conservation and responsible tourism and teaches Masters and PhD students. as well as the industry, local communities, governments, and conservationists. Harold also undertakes consultancy and evaluations for companies, NGOs, governments, and international organisations. He is also a Director of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism which he founded in 2002 and which promotes the principles of the Cape Town Declaration.
Comments
tryshashbyrolls says
Very glad to see that child protection is to be discussed at the forthcoming conference. It may be of note that I gave a paper on curbing child sex tourism at the 3rd International Travelers’ Philanthropy Conference, Costa Rica, in 2011.
