Leaders from Canada and U.S. strategize to combat child trafficking and protect victims.

Creating safe havens for trafficked children in the U.S. and increasing legal enforcement against child sex tourism in Canada should be two of the highest priorities for anti-trafficking policies in North America, according to a report published jointly by ECPAT-USA, Beyond Borders (the ECPAT group in Canada) and Shared Hope International this month.  The report documents the findings of a meeting held in Washington, DC in preparation for the World Congress III Against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents, taking place in Brazil in late November. Click here to read the report.

Dear Friend of ECPAT-USA:

About 25% of the sex tourists who abuse children while traveling abroad are American.   This is an abhorrent practice fed by poverty and the growth of the demand for ever younger people in the sex trade.  Some travelers believe that children under 18 years old are not harmed by sexual exploitation and that the children benefit because they may get money.    ECPAT-USA has always stood against child sex tourism.

To protect children in tourism, ECPAT-USA supports the Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism (www.thecode.org). The Code of Conduct was created by ECPAT-Sweden in 1998 and is now supported by more than 800 companies around the world.  In the U.S., only five companies have signed it.    

Last year we initiated a campaign seeking the support of U.S. companies for the Code of Conduct.  We urged people to write letters to Hilton Hotels, Hyatt Corp., Starwood Hotels and Resorts, and Choice Hotels, asking them to sign the Code of Conduct.  Working in cooperation with the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), the ECPAT-USA Youth Committee, churches, members of Congress, organizations and individuals, thousands of letters and postcards were sent to these companies.   ICCR members facilitated face to face meetings with some companies as well, asking them to get involved in the movement to protect children from sexual exploitation.              

The Results of Our Collective Work:

1. No new U.S. hotel company has agreed to sign the Code of Conduct.  
2. However, there has been progress.  Some hotel companies are paying more attention to the issue of sexual exploitation of children as part of their corporate social responsibility policies. 
3. One new U.S.-based tourism company, Amazon Tours (www.amazontours.com), has agreed to sign the Code.  A Code of Conduct signing event will take place in New York City on September 15. 

The attached chart summarizes the results of our campaign.  It was developed by reviewing existing information about companies, both those that have signed the Code of Conduct and those that have not, and inserting summary information into the chart format.  Companies were then asked for their comments and feedback on how their work was depicted.  Some companies asked us to change how they were described, often adding wording that shows that while they have not yet taken actions against sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism, they are working on such policies, training and awareness raising materials.  Three companies did not respond: Choice, Hyatt and Hilton.  Also, one company that signed the Code of Conduct in 2004, Flamingo Travel, has not been responsive. 

We will continue to monitor all U.S. companies.  Those that signed the Code of Conduct but not implemented it will be removed from the list of Code of Conduct companies.  Those that have told us of their plans to take future steps will be checked and the chart will be updated as we receive additional information. 

This campaign is a credit to all the individuals and organizations who worked so hard to encourage companies to do the right thing for children. 

We encourage all of our supporters to:

1. Patronize a company that has signed the Code of Conduct when they are traveling.
2. Ask why a company hasn’t signed the Code of Conduct if traveling with a company that has not done so.  
3. Keep their eyes open for signs of sexual exploitation of children and if anything appears to be suspicious, to report it to the manager of the company they are patronizing and to the authorities. 
4. Pass this newsletter information on to others and encourage them to get on our mailing list by sending an email to ecpat@ecpatusa.org and requesting to be listed.

Thank you all for your past and ongoing support to ECPAT-USA.  Making a donation to ECPAT-USA makes it possible for us to continue to do this work.  You can donate through our website or by sending a check made out to “ECPAT-USA,” 157 Montague St., Brooklyn, New York 11201.

ECPAT-USA will continue to work with all of you to encourage U.S. companies to join the rest of the world by stepping up and doing the right thing for children.

Sincerely, Carol Smolenski - Executive Director

World Congress III Against Sexual Exploitation of Children
and Adolescents

The government of Brazil has announced its sponsorship of the World Congress.
It will take place in Rio de Janeiro in November and is being organized by the governments of Brazil, Sweden and Japan and by ECPAT, UNICEF and the NGO Group on the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This event will bring together world leaders to discuss ways of ending the sexual exploitation of young people around the world. The U.S. government and U.S. NGOs attended both of the preceding World Congress. For more information: http://www.ecpat.net/World_Congress/

ECPAT-USA Reports

ECPAT-USA publishes reports and studies about the commercial sexual exploitation of children. Click here for the list