WASHINGTON, 5 October 2020: ECPAT and the Down to Zero Alliance are calling on governments and corporations to prioritise child protection when developing a sustainable future for the sector.
The Down to Zero Alliance comprising Terre des Hommes Netherlands, Defence for Children-ECPAT, ECPAT International, Free a Girl, ICCO and Plan International Netherlands.
They are calling on intergovernmental bodies, governments and the private sector to consider child protection as a key element for sustainable and responsible development now. This call is based on insights from a series of webinars organised as part of the efforts to end the sexual exploitation of children.
They are demanding that the restart travel and tourism should prioritise Child Protection in focus was motivated by the Covid-19 crisis and is based on the contributions from the panellists and the participants that represented the intergovernmental bodies, governments, the private sector, CSOs and academia during these events.
Recommendations for the private sector to restart travel with a core component of child protection include leveraging solutions that address the root causes of socio-economic vulnerabilities of children and families.
The reliance calls for risk and impacts analysis regarding children’s rights when developing new products related to digital transformation and seamless travel solutions.
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council in its media statement said it was asking tourism corporations to take onboard the GSTC Criteria and the six criteria of The Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism.
GSTC Criteria and Prevention of Exploitation In GSTC Industry Criteria is used mainly by hotels and tour operators to counter child exploitation and harassment.
