Report on the Workshop for Human Resource Managers/Security Heads on the Protection of Children in Tourism: A Shared Responsibility

Transcription

1 Report on the Workshop for Human Resource Managers/Security Heads on the Protection of Children in Tourism: A Shared Responsibility 15 th - 16 th APRIL 2010: AT BAOBAB HOLIDAY RESORT Report Prepared By: Samba Njie - CPA

2 TABLE OF CONTENT Acknowledgement..3 Executive Summary...4 Introduction of Training Workshop 5 Objectives of the Workshop. 5 Summary of Presentations on: Introduction to Child Sex Tourism 6 Situations Concerning Child Rights & Occurrences of CST Initiatives in Combating CST and the Damage of CST to the Tourism Industry.9 Police Investigations into Child Sex Tourism, Cooperation and Arrests..11 Measures on Combating Child Sex Tourism and Reaction of Clients...14 Sharing Experience on Cases of CST Group Work..16 The Child Protection Code of Conduct..19 Developing a Child Protection Policy and Procedure.. 22 Drafting Child Protection Policy and Protocol - Group Works & Presentations...23 Reporting of Child Sex Tourism Cases...26 Developing Awareness Materials and Messages- Group Work...28 Role Play on Child Sexual Exploitation Scenario Comments from Participants Annexes: Participants list and Programme schedule

3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The training of Hoteliers and other stakeholders in tourism could not have been better and more successful if not for the invaluable support, contribution and devotion of certain individuals and institutions. We at the CPA Secretariat are indebted to these individuals and institutions for various efforts towards realizing the success of the training. On behalf of the CPA member organizations and Board members, we sincerely acknowledge and thank the following: ECPAT-Netherlands for funding this workshop and for providing technical support for its effective implementation; Celine, for serving as the lead trainer and for instigating lively, interactive, stimulating and interesting discussions on Child Sex Tourism and the roles of the various stakeholders, and for her inimitable presentation approaches; The able and charismatic resource persons and facilitators for the wonderful presentations and organization- Mr. Adama Bah of Travel Foundation, Ousman Kebbeh- GTA, ASP Yamundow Jagne-Joof of The Gambia Police Force and Njundu Drammeh, CPA; Our eminent and dynamic participants for not only honouring our invitation but also for following directives and instructions from the resource persons and facilitators, and for the lively experience sharing; Baobab Hotel and Resort for their hospitality and great services; and All the media houses for the coverage and publicity given to the training 3

4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The stakeholders meeting in tourism, convened from 5-6 November 2009, gave both CPA and stakeholders in tourism all the opportunity to understand the dynamics in the protection of children from sexual exploitation in tourism, the various mechanisms, protocols, policies and structures that need to be in place for the effective protection of children and the importance of collaboration and cooperation between and among the various stakeholders. The research conducted by CPA in collaboration with Terres des Hommes, Netherlands at the end of 2002 and the outcome of the Monitoring Visits on the GTA Tourism Code of Copnduct held between 22 nd 30 th March 2010, all indicate that CST exists in The Gambia and might be on the increase. This Code of Conduct for Tourism was formulated in May 2004 to be implemented by all stakeholders of the tourism industry. The overall objective of the Code of Conduct is to prevent children from sexual abuse and combat the sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism. Under the Code of Conduct, tourism establishments commit themselves to promoting awareness of child sexual exploitation in tourism among their employees and customers, as well as including a rejection of sexual exploitation of children in contract clauses. Further, they commit to consideration of the Code of Conduct when laying down business principles, and to submission of yearly reports to CPA-ECPAT-Gambia on the steps taken to enforce the code Based on the findings of the research and a follow up of the first training in November 2009, CPA therefore gathered Human Resource Manegers, Frront Office Manangers and security heads of diffrerent tourism estblsihments from 15 th 16 th April 2010 to train them on the issues of CSEC and Child Sex Tourism to better eqiup them to take a firmer role inprotecting children from Child Sex Tourist. Participants learned about the tourism Code of Conduct and its six criteria, reporting mechanisms and policy development they were also thought how to look out for potential child sex tourists. At the end of the training, all the participants agreed that concerted efforts were necessary in order to ensure that appropriate and effective steps are taken to combat Child Sex Tourism in The Gambia. 4

5 DAY 1: 15 APRIL, 2010 INTRODUCTION OF THE TRAINING WORKSHOP/PARTICIPANTS Mr. Samba Njie welcomed the participants and thanked them for honouring the invitation of Child Protection Alliance and its partner ECPAT- Netherlands. He urged participants to participate in the workshop effectively so that all the workers and employees in the tourism industry of The Gambia will be aware of CSEC issues and be ready and prepared to counteract the exploitation of children in tourism. Mr. Njie reminded the participants that the main outcome that CPA would want to see is a step down training to be conducted by the various representatives of the hotels in order to teach their various staff. After presenting the agenda of the workshop, the lead resource person, Celine Verheijen, asked participants to introduce themselves. Participants were asked to tell their names, hotels they represent and positions they hold. OBJECTIVES OF THE WORKSHOP The training for the tourism sector on protection of children against child sex tourism had the following objectives: To learn about Child Sex Tourism Learn what Tourism can do to fight against child sex tourism Learn to identify and respond to child sexual exploitation cases. GROUND RULES Each participant was given a card to write down one ground rule which he or she thinks if followed will help have a successful training. Each of them wrote what he or she thinks should be abiding by. These rules were pasted on the wall during the two days training as reminder for all the participants and facilitators. 5

6 SUMMARIES OF PRESENTATIONS: PRESENTATION: INTRODUCTION TO CHILD SEX TOURISM BY CELINE The first presentation was done by Celine who took participants through a brief introduction of what CST means. She told participants that Child sex tourism is the commercial sexual exploitation of children by people who travel from one place to another, where they engage in sexual acts with minors. Celine further participants that often, Child Sex Tourist travel from a richer country to one that is less developed, but child sex tourists may also be travelers from within their own country or regions. Celine told participants that there are different actors or player in Child Sex Tourism which include Local Victims, Local Exploiters, Outside Victims and Outside Exploiters. She showed them a map which shows CST and its hotspots around the world. Celine said that compared to hotspots like South East Asia, Latin America and India among others, the Gambia does not have young children hanging around bars. She said in the hotspots, children literally ask tourists, openly you want sex? Participants were told that CST takes place in various places such as brothels and clubs, hotels, beaches, etc. and in South East Asia young children are advertised for sex. In some other places such as the Gambia people rent out houses for sex. Celine took participants through the different types of offenders. She said that perpetrators are in different forms and ages. There are those called the Situational Perpetrators who do not travel with the intention of having sex but simply find themselves in a place or circumstance that allows them to engage in the activity. They often have sex with pubescent children. There is a second category called the Preferential Perpetrators who travel to have sex with young women or men in their mind. They do not care about the age; rather they have choice among many regardless of age. Celine said that the third group is the Pedophiles who travel to have sex with pre-pubertal children and they offer money and gifts. They have and use networks which are well organize and often make images of abuse. Celine said that there are some know causes as major factors that precipitate CST: poverty, lack of employment, socially vulnerable families (alcoholism, disease, drug abuse, children of prostitutes, street children, etc.). demand for child sex, deception by traffickers for sexual purpose, inadequate protection system such as weak law enforcement or economic discrepancies and peer pressure for consumerism. 6

7 According to Celine, the impact of CST on society includes destruction of the social fabric and norms and values as well as tarnishing a country s image and undermining sustainable tourism development. She said that once a country is labeled as a Child Sex Tourism destination, it becomes extremely difficult to shed off that image. While it was noted that tourism in itself is not responsible for child sex tourism, offenders use tourism services and structures such as airlines, buses, trains, taxis, hotels, guest houses, resorts, cruise ships and other services involving accommodation to exploit children and this is why it is necessary to have the same messages in these places such as airports, taxis and hotels. This makes it difficult for offenders because they realize that everyone is being informed. Celine told the participants that as hotel worker and working in the tourism industry, they have a unique position to fight child sex tourism and could employ the following means and approaches to achieve that goal: Inform and raise awareness among the target groups Proactively become part of the prevention system against child-sex tourism Protect the children of the tourist destination Report on the issue to relevant authorities Influence tourism policy-makers Celine ended her session with the message thsat: Although The Gambia is yet to be in the hotspot of Child Sex Tourism, the tourism services can facilitate sexual exploitation of children unless mechanisms are in place to stop it from happening PRESENTATION ON SITUATION CONCERNING CHILD RIGHTS AND OCCURRENCES OF CST BY NJUNDU DRAMMEH Mr. Njundu Drammeh, the National Coordinator of CPA, was the second presenter. He began his presentation with a quotation by Albert Thomas, first Director of ILO who said Serious work in social legislation begins with the protection of children. He went on to tell participants about the different child-related international legal instruments ratified by The Gambia and the local or domestic legal frame works which protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation. Mr. Drammeh identified these instruments as: UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and its two Optional Protocols; African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child; ILO Conventions 138 and 182 and the Palermo Protocol. He also cited the various domestic legal documents such as the 1997 Constitution of The Gambia; Tourism Offences Act 2003; 7

8 Children s Act 2005; Trafficking in Persons Act, 2007; Criminal Code Cap.10 Vol.III Laws of The Gambia. Njundu told the participants that in the Gambia s context, the two most important legal instruments that protect children from exploitation in tourism are the Children s Act 2005 and the Tourism Offences Act He took participants through some sections of the Children Act 2005 which impose stiff penalties one child sex offenders. He mentioned that the key features of the Children s Act 2005 are that it defines a child as any person under 18 years and is premised on the Welfare Principle ; protects children from all forms of sexual abuse and exploitation and stipulates stiff penalties for violation; stipulates mandatory reporting of child abuse and child rights violation cases; and raises the age of sexual consent for children to 18 years (Sec. 127 of the Criminal Code as amended by the Section 241 of the Children s Act 2005). Mr. Drammeh told participants that there have been many initiatives put in place to combat child sex tourism such as the formulation of National Plan of Action on Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children; the adoption of Code of Conduct of the GTA for the Protection of Children in the tourism industry; the establishment of Adolescent Neighborhood Watch Groups in 5 Communities in the Tourism Development Area; and the Existence of a Tourism Security Unit. In terms of the extent of CST, Njundu said two researches were conducted in one by CPA called Gambia the Smiling Coast which looks at the involvement of Dutch tourists in Child Sex Tourism and the other in 2004 by UNICEF and Gambia Government (Department of Social Welfare) titled Study on the Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children in The Gambia. Mr. Drammeh noted that while these studies were only qualitative in nature and hence the inadequate data which makes it difficult in determining the nature and extent of Child Sex Tourism in The Gambia, there is anecdotal evidence that abuse and exploitation does take place. He shared with the participants some statements or remarks made by interviewees in the CPA research, indicating their awareness of the existence of CST: Hotel Owner: Yes, it is happening, but it is difficult to prove. There is no evidence, just indicators, because the actual act is hidden and the perpetrators are clever and well educated. A Local Tour Guide: It is rampant and not hidden but very open (...) some young girls are brought to the hotel and stay for a few hours, or overnight. Some tourists come for one girl only, others you see with many girls during their stay. 8

9 Local Tour Guide: Tourists are coming for that reason [sex with children]. People come here for young girls and boys to satisfy their sexual desires we see it every day. It is at the beginning stage and it can be stopped, definitely! Njundu told the participants that there is need for more collaboration with communities because pedophiles are now renting houses within communities for their activities. He also highlighted the challenges in protecting children which include the existence of serious misconceptions about child rights as well as secrecy, fear and denial and the conspiracy of silence that surrounds child sexual abuse and exploitation. Furthermore there is under reporting for many reasons. He noted that because of the limited information the police finds it difficult to also deal with the situation effectively, hence the need for stronger collaboration which he lamented is currently limited especially among frontline operators. He also emphasized that there is a need to have the active participation of children and everyone else. Njundu concluded by quoting Javier Perez de Cuellar, a former United Nations Secretary General that: The way a society treats its children reflects not only its qualities of compassion and protective caring but also its sense of justice, its commitment to the future and its urge to enhance the human condition for coming generations. This is as indisputably true of the community of nations as it is true of nations individually. PRESENTATION ON INITAITIVES ON COMBATING CHILD SEX TOURISM AND THE DAMAGE CST TO THE TOURISM INDUSTRY BY ADAMA BAH TRAVEL FOUNDATION Mr. Adama Bah started his presentation by telling participants that protecting children against CST can be put in one phrase which is Responsible Tourism. Mr. Bah told participants that the Principles of Responsible Tourism on Child Sex Tourism is divided into three: Principle 1: Shared values. Mr. Bah emphasized that this principle in its Business Sense- states that Responsible Tourism is not philanthropy but part of business strategy. This simply means that, in order to create value for shareholders and our Company, we need to create value for the people in the countries where we operate. Principle 2: Creating Responsible Tourism Policy. This seeks to achieve or demonstrate stakeholder responsible behavior by assuring compliance and sustainability; compliance with ethical business principles, national laws and international norms; commitment to human rights, employee rights, environmental protection, community 9

10 involvement, stakeholder rights and monitor; and implementing stakeholder responsibility on 3 ple bottom lines: environmentally sound, socially just and economically viable for a better future. Principle 3 sees Tourism as a product which is used as a trade export item at international level is a living material: natural and human resources, wildlife, culture, history and heritage and social exchange. In terms of the initiatives for the combat of CST, Mr. Bah highlighted some of specific implementation of Child Sex Tourism (CST) Programmes these include Responsible Tourism Policy of The Gambia established in which states the negative social and cultural impacts associated with tourism (such as increased crime, drug and alcohol abuse, prostitution and child sex abuse) should be monitored and action should be taken with local communities to minimise negative impacts and enhance positive ones. The acceptance that CST exist- backed with research such as the CPA s research; Consumer Awareness flyers such as the CPA, GTA and UNICEF flyer on the code of conduct, the legislation of the Tourism Offences Act 2003; and the prosecution of offenders such as the Dutch and Norwegian tourists cases. Mr. Bah told participants that there is need for change as ethical trading policy can provide both a commercial advantage and a positive marketing tool. He said even though hotel workers are into real business, it should not stop them from maintaining moral imperative, conscience, and personal values. They must also be concern for environment & culture; endeavour to preserve destinations to maintain product quality, market forces and consumer pressure. In conclusion, Mr. Bah said that much needs to be done on CST- not as romantic as before and that protecting children from sexual exploitation in tourism has become part of the Responsible Tourism Movement. He finally quoted his last words from Cricketer Holiday that destinations are made... but whenever places get spoil, we move on..and we are left with the spoils. 10

11 PRESENTATION ON POLICE INVESTIGATION ON CST COOPERATION AND ARREST : BY ASP YAMUNDOW JAGNE JOOF ASP Jagne-Joof started her presentation with definitions of a child, Child Sex tourism and who a tourist is. ASP Jagne continued that investigations are done when a case is reported to the police but can be done before, during and after an incident occur. She further stated that police investigation can take place even after 10 years of the crime. If a crime is committed in the Gambia, even if the culprit has left the country, the police can still follow up the matter. She said investigation can begin with mere observation or suspicion for which the security officer is required to engage. It can also take effect immediately a case has been reported, and this can be any period after the incident. ASP Jagne-Joof said the first priority of the security officer is to ensure the protection of the child by knowing his or her whereabouts, the circumstances, among others. One must gather information regarding the accusation immediately and all security officers need to realize that not only men are involved in CST, but women are also involved in various ways. When a security officer has a tip-off, there is a need to begin gathering information from the source and other sources. It is also necessary to remove the child immediately from the crime scene as soon as a report is made, and place the child in a safe area, and the security officer needs to preserve the scene, which is why it is necessary to have a partner so that one can protect the child in a safe area while the other one preserves the crime scene for the investigation. Gathering of evidence, through the search and seizure of process and through the medical investigation and its follow up can only be effective if you use the multi disciplinary team approach emphasizing that no single agency can effectively do an investigation hence the need for partnership the police, medical services, NGOs, hotels, including the petty traders, as well as schools and homes. Members of the team, she said, must achieve consensus on common goals, mutual responsibility and a process for ensuring good communication and feed back. ASP Jagne-Joof said in any sexual abuse or CST case, the health services have a role to establish the gravity of the injury on the child or whether any sexual act took place in the first place. ASP Jagne-Joof gave a rundown of those who may be interviewed by the Police in a child sexual abuse and exploitation case. These include: Child Non-offending parents 11

12 Other potential victims Others having collaborative information about the incident and The suspect ASP Jagne pointed out that the child victim should be interviewed first when a case is reported and in a private and neutral setting. In this instance, it is necessary to comfort the child, interact and build confidence and trust between the police officer and the child, because the child may not cooperate if trust and confidence are not secured or present. The next step, she said, is to interview the non-offending parents whom the child trusts. The child will not want to deal with parents who offend or maltreat him or her. In conducting the interview with the child, ASP Jagne-Joof cautioned that the interview should not take place when security officers in uniform are present. Furthermore before conducting the interview with the child, she advised that there is need to gather as much specific information as possible, and document the information and the investigation process so that you do not forget vital data. When interviewing the child, consider how and where the child was touched; if threats or promises were made; threats are the most common method used by abusers to intimidate the child; if other victims or offenders are involved; find out whether the child is the only one to suffer the abuse or if there are others; when the abuse occurred and how often does it happen; who is the abuser and their relationship because sometimes the abuser is a family member or a tourist who promised the family of sponsorship or support. Again in interviewing a child avoid leading questions, but ask simple and open-ended questions and ask one question one at a time and give the child time to respond; do not interrupt the child; use appropriate and simple language the child knows and understands. She said children cannot protect themselves because of their mental and physical capacity and they do not want to talk about their predicament frequently. In terms of arrest and detention of a suspect, ASP Jagne-Joof said a suspect is arrested immediately before absconding, when an allegation of sexual abuse or exploitation is made against him or her. She said officers should look out for the suspect and find out where his or her possible whereabouts and it is necessary to involve partners. The security officer should make a search of the premises where the suspect is found before leaving as well as the place the suspect lives. If it is place not owned by the suspect, it is necessary to inform the owner of the premises such as hotel or motel and invite them to the police for questioning. The officer also needs to inform the suspect the reason of the arrest, and if he or she is not a Gambian, then one needs to inform the suspect s embassy. Meanwhile the crime scene must be preserved, and the officer must seize the suspect s belongings that may be useful in the investigation. After this it is now time to charge and take the suspect to court 12

13 under the Tourism Offences Act. This Act has stiff penalties for offenders and so many offences are spelt out to protect the child. The Act also imposes a duty on society and the State and its agencies to play a role in protecting the child, who also has a role to play in his or her protection. ASP Jagne Joof concluded by noting that Child Sex Tourism is a very serious offence and a violation of right of the child. Therefore, the law imposes a duty on society to report such cases, because it is the way that we can together fight this scourge by punishing perpetrators and protecting victims or potential victims. 13

14 PRESENTATION ON MEASURES ON COMBATING CST AND REACTION OF CLIENTS BY OUSMAN KEBBEH- GAMBIA TOURISM AUTHORITY (GTA) Mr. Kebbeh opened his presentation with the statement that Child Sex Tourism has been a world-wide phenomenon for a very long time now. In some destinations as in The Gambia, the activities are scaling down. The Gambia Tourism Authority in close collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and Culture and other stakeholders like the Tourism Security Unit, CPA and UNICEF are working tirelessly to eradicate Child Sex Tourism. Mr. Kebbeh noted that GTA has implemented policies and programs such as the Tourism Master Plan and the Tourism Offences Act, and the Authority collaborates with partners such as UNICEF and CPA to develop messages to disseminate to all relevant places such as airports and hotels among others. He said such messages warn potential offenders to be on the watch and refrain from their activities. He however noted that these messages have also caused offenders to relocate their activities from the hotel and Tourism Development Area (TDA) to private homes in the communities, which he said prompted his organization to also move from the TDA to schools and communities in a program that is targeting 16 schools. The program involves organizing workshops and other activities which they usually do in collaboration with the police. Mr. Kebbeh took participants through some provisions of the Tourism Offences Act by highlighting section 6 which talks about sexual abuse and the age of the child. He said this is important to specify because criminals usually do the act and then say they do not know the age of the child hence the section specifies the age of the child, and also specifies the penalty which is 14 years imprisonment. He also mentioned Section 7 of the Act which talks about procuring a child for sex in all its forms and places and specifies its penalty at 10 years. Mr. Kebbeh said GTA came up with awareness programmes and materials such as the weekly program at West Coast Radio in order to popularize the Tourism Offences Act 2003 and all relevant laws and information. He observed that Gambians are considered as peace loving and hospitable people and these values must be promoted especially among the children. He said children must also be taught to work hard and earn a living than to beg around, and noted that schools should create awareness among the young to realize that Europe and America came to be what they are because of the hard work of their people. He said school children must also be sensitized about the environment and the importance of plants and animals. 14

15 In conclusion, Mr. Kebbeh said that it is true that some of the hotels have not signed the Code of conduct but his office will look into the issues and commit those who yet to sign to do so. Participants Comments on the Presentations After the presentations, participants raised few concerns about the new knowledge they were exposed to. A participant from Senegambia Hotel suggested that CPA should lobby for Government of the Gambia to make compound owners who rent their houses to make under-taking to reject Child Sex tourism. She opined that many compound owners in the Gambia now do rent their houses to tourists and there may be Child Sexual Abuse activities going on there without the notice of the law enforcement agencies. A participant from Sun Beach Hotel noted that while The Gambia is not in the hotspots of CST, it is close to it and there is a need to keep away from it. For that purpose there is a need for the hotels to take up the responsibility and to collaborate to combat CST. He further challenged the law enforcement agencies to fight corruption which often makes it possible for rich paedophiles and their accomplices to buy their way out of the law, avoid prosecution or bribe to get cases and charges against them be dropped. The issue of social programs on the beach organized by GSM companies and others was raised by a participant from Badala Hotel. He opined that a lot of abuse and exploitation may potentially take place there. In addition to the problem of beach parties, a participant from the Tourism Security Unit said that GTA is in charge of the beach and usually the GSM Company writes to GTA to seek permission to hold events there. GTA engages the security forces such as the TSU and fire and ambulance services to ensure security on the shore and in the water. A participant from Ocean Bay Hotel noted that the ATA Congress will be hosted by the Gambia and there will come a lot of guest from different background and countries. He therefore challenges the GTA and TSU to put in mechanism in place to protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation. The issue of children sent to the hotels by tourism hospitality institution for attachment was also raised by a participant. She appeals to CPA to discuss with the national training authority to look into the issue when sending under age children for attachment. 15

16 SHARING EXPERIENCE ON CASES OF CST GROUP WORK Participants were divided into 4 groups to identify one case that they have witnessed. They were asked to do the following tasks in each case: explain the situation; differentiate the type of perpetrator; and reaction of the hotel and other stakeholders. Presentation of group work on CST Case: Presentation by Group 1 Situation: A tourist came to a local hotel and was having sex with children and using them for the production of pornography. A staff observed the frequent visit of children into the resident of this tourist and reported the issues to management. Type of Perpetrator: Pedophile Action taken: The case was reported to the hotel management, and then to the police who came and search the guest s room and found the pornographic materials of the children. He was taken to court for prosecution. Presentation by Group 2 Situation: A Norwegian tourist came and chose a female child to sponsor. He has been going and coming to the Gambia on several visits and sexually abusing the child when ever he came for his visit. The family knew about the abuse but didn t report the matter because they were afraid of the tourist sponsorship withdrawal. Type of Perpetrator: Preferential Abuser Action taken: The matter was reported to CPA by a staff of the Hotel whilst the perpetrator was in his hometown. The Gambia Government took up the matter with the 16

17 Norwegian Authorities. The Tourist was prosecuted in Norway and the child victim compensated by the Norwegian authority. Presentation by Group 3 Situation: A British tourist in his late 60s once resided in one of the hotels. During his stay, he usually brings a 14 years old girl. He claimed to have been sponsoring the child from grade 1 to grade 8. The tourist always give some money to one of the security guards to allow the child to sneak into the hotel when ever she came as the policy of the hotel is that no child should enter the hotel to visit a guest without a parent or an adult guide. On this particular day, the child was sitting at the balcony and all of sudden was seen following the tourist into his room. During that period, an internet installation personnel was hired to network the computers who saw the child in the guest room. Type of Perpetrator: Preferential Abuser Action taken: The internet installation personnel reported the matter to the front office manager of the hotel who immediately called the guest s room and request to speak to the girl in the room. He then asked the child to come and meet him at the receptionist desk. Both the tourist and the child came to the reception and the front office manager interrogate the child in a local language to know what she was doing there and how she managed to enter the hotel without been stopped by the security guard. She confessed that her sponsor paid the security guard to allow her enter the hotel. The tourist started screaming and shouting at the front office manger but that didn t stop the front office staff to send the girl away and asked her never to come back to that place. The security guard who was identified as the tourist accomplice was sacked by the hotel management. Presentation by Group 4 Situation: A tourist approached the Front Office Manager of this hotel at 9:30pm and told him that he (tourist) is expecting a child of 13 years old who he claims to be sponsoring with her mother. The duo arrived at the security post at around 10:30pm and after clearance, they were escorted to the reception where the tourist was waiting for them. 17

18 Whilst the tourist was at the reception chatting with his guests, another woman with her daughter of 14 years arrived at the security post asking for the same tourist. She was not allowed entry because she and her child didn t book any appointment with this tourist. However, the woman bitterly complained that the tourist in question is dating her child and decide to dump her for the other girl (who is already with him at the reception). The security were startled with her claim and decided to contact thee the front office manager. The Front Office manager lead the child and her mother from the gate to the reception were the tourist was sitting with his earlier gusts. Upon seeing his new guests, the tourist denied knowing them, but when the hotel management asks him to be honest and tell the truth, he angrily retorted that his new guest was his ex-girls friend but because her mother was ungrateful to him, he decided to leave her for the girl he formally invited to the hotel. Type of Perpetrator: Preferential Abuser Action taken: The Hotel management informed the tourist that child sexual abuse and exploitation is prohibited in The Gambia and that they would like to alert the police for further investigation about his relationship with the two children. The Tourism Security Police were called who came and invited the tourist to their station for questioning. The following day, the tourist was brought and led to his office room by the police to collect his belongings. The hotel didn t get any feedback thereafter. 18

19 DAY 2: 16 APRIL, 2010 The 2 nd day started with a recap of the previous day, and presentation on Code of Conduct. PRESENTATION ON THE CODE OF CONDUCT FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN FROM SEXUAL EXPLOITATION IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM Celine informed the participants that the Code of Conduct began as a project in 1998 by ECPAT Sweden and World Tourism Organisation, to engage the tourism private sector in preventing and combating sexual exploitation of children in tourism. Now the Code of Conduct is widespread in many European countries as well as in South East Asia and Latin America with over 1000 companies and 38 countries signatory to it. Celine showed the participants the geographical proportion of signitories to the Code o Condcut. She said Africa is behind compared to other regions in adopting the Code of Conduct, even though a number of hotels in Kenya and Accor Hotels - Subsaharan Africa did sign the code. Celine informed the participants that the Code of Conduct has 6 criteria, each of which entails a certain obligation that the company signing up to it should fulfil. The criteria and their obligations are as follows: Criterion 1: Establishment of an ethical policy regarding commercial sexual exploitation of children The signatory company adopts a corporate policy against commercial sexual exploitation of children. The company informs all its employees about the Code of Conduct. The introduction of such a policy is due within a year after the signature of the Code of Conduct. Criterion 2: Training of employees in the country of origin and the travel destination The personnel of the signatory company, regardless of level of responsibility, have to be informed and trained on the Code of Conduct. As part of the service quality system, employees must receive regular training. 19

20 Celine gave a sample of a policy satement which says: Sun Travel Tours believes tourists who use tourism facilities to gain sexual contact with children are committing a grave violation of children s rights. Child-sex tourism runs counter both to human rights and the values of tourism. Sun Travel Tours is fully against sexual exploitation of children in tourism and refuses to conduct business with any person or company who is engaged or associated with this type of exploitation. Criterion 3: Introduction of a clause in contracts with service providers/suppliers stating a common repudiation of commercial sexual exploitation of children The clause stipulates that a contract with a supplier will be cancelled in the case that the supplier does not meet the commitments regarding the repudiation of commercial sexual exploitation of children in its activities or on its premises. A Contract clause sample may state: We ask our business partners through our contracts (terms and conditions) that: No child prostitution be allowed or tolerated at the supplier s facilities Any suspicious behaviour from guests be reported to the relevant local authorities Criterion 4: Provision of information to travellers by means of catalogues, brochures, in-flight films, ticket-slips, home pages, etc. The signatory company commits to inform the customer about CST and the company policy on CST. The company also provides the customer with a channel to report cases of commercial sexual exploitation of children. Criterion 5: Information provision on the Code of Conduct and the company s policy in this regard to local key persons at the destinations Key persons include individuals who have contact with customers (e.g. restaurant and bar owners, taxi-drivers) as well as persons having an influence in the community (e.g. decision makers, the local Code representative, child rights organisations). They are also people who 20

21 have influence on the lives of children in the destination (social services or law enforcement). Criterion 6: Annual reporting on the level of implementation of the Code of Conduct for the protection of children from sexual exploitation in travel and tourism The annual report allows the signatory company to take stock of the efforts made and results achieved. In conclusion, Celine told participants that it could be seen that Criteria 1 and 2 relate to internal tools or mechanisms of the company such as policy formulation and training. Criteria 3 and 4 relate to the company s association with outsiders such as contracts with suppliers and sharing of information to travelers, tour operators, hotels among others whilst Criteria 5 and 6 relate to reporting and monitoring mechanisms in the implementation of the code of conduct 21

22 PRESENTATION ON DEVELOPING A CHILD-PROTECTION POLICY AND PROCEDURE BY CELINE Celine started by beriefly giving a qiuck rundown of some very important issues to bear in mind when when drafting or making a company s policy on Child Sex Tourism. She said in developing a child-protection policy and protocols, the following should be in mind: The draft text should reflect the company s or organisation s stance on the issue of child sex tourism The Policy should be circulated to all staff members The policy should be distributed and made known to suppliers and business partners Celine told participants why is a child protection policy important in a company. It helps in so many ways such as: Enabling the Staff know what to do in case of child sexual exploitation in their premises or when thye suspect such a case Serving as a marketing tool to attract good tourists to a country or hotel Scaring away child sex tourists Helping to raise awareness and Attracting collaboration with CSR-companies. The participants were informed that it is very necessary to have a policy in place because the vast majority of tourists prefer to travel with a company that takes child sex tourism seriously and is not seen to be facilitating an illegal activity. The presenter reminded participants that for the policy to serve its purpose very well, it must attempt to be basically a clear and easy-to-follow protocol to be used if the company comes into contact with either a child sex offender or a potential child victim (steps to follow/ when reporting); and those members of staff who come into contact with tourists should conduct simulation/role-play exercises to practice responding to situations of exploitation. 22

23 In wraping up this presentation, celine reiterated that good policies must consider the following: objective: to protect children from CST/CSEC; efficiency; equality; legality; acceptability; need to be realistic and robustness/improvability. DRAFTING CHILD PROTECTION POLICY AND PROTOCOL GROUP WORK This presentation was followed by a group work for groups to develop a draft policy and protocol on child protection for a company or an institution. Participants were divided into 4 groups to develop policies for their companies and hotels. The Policy Session Worksheet given to each group was as follows: Your company has recently signed the Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism. The first task that your company must undertake to implement this Code of Conduct is to create a company policy against child-sex tourism and other forms of sexual exploitation. Presentation of Group Work on Child Protection Policy and Protocol Presentation by Group 1 Policy: Definition: It is a guide to a particular subject on the way implementation can be carried out. On child sex tourism, the first point could be how to distribute or disseminate the Policy to the staff. 1. All employees should be aware of CST. If any employee is found or caught in sexually abusing or exploiting a child, the penalty will be summary dismissal and the information will be disseminated or shared to other hotels. 2. The involvement of the HOD is very important. With them the junior staff cannot carry out task because of fear of losing their job or position. 3. Employee should consult the security department or superior. 23

24 All employees should sign undertaking with clear penalty of such act. Employee must familiarize themselves with the policy. Protocol: Report to the local authorities Report to the embassy if the offender is foreign national Report to the concerned nationals Personnel should be well trained on how to collect Personal details from non-residential guests by using the log book and collect the I.D card of the individual. If the visitor is underage, the guest should be informed in a very professional manner to avoid confrontation of embarrassment. Presentation by Group 2 1. The policy should state not to allow under-aged children into the hotel rooms. 2. Information: non-residents are not allowed in the rooms. Sign boards should also displayed the same message for the customers. 3. Tour operators should be informed. 4. Emergency numbers should be displayed in case of such act. Protocol: SCREENING: At the entrance. Inform the customer why doing the screening. Ask the customer ID and inform the management. The authorities concern should be informed.e.g. TSU, Local Policy, C.P.A, and Social welfare. Presentation by Group 3 That as employees once confronted with CST problem, we must ensure that the child is less than 18 years. 1. information to be passed to front office personnel 2. Security unit, house keeping and B&B personnel should all be informed. 3. In the event of any suspect, relevant authorities i.e. Department of Social Welfare, the Police and C.P.A should be informed. 24

25 4. Tour representatives should inform their guests about the prohibition of CST during first briefing. 5. A bulletin must be put at the Hotel s information board to enable the guests know about the stand of the hotel and the country on CST. 6. The general staff should be sensitized about the dangers of CST 7. Hotels must abide by this policy. Protocol: The receptionist should inform the Manager if he/she suspects that a child in a company of a guest is less than 18 years. The identification of the child should be inspected. This should be done in a way not to offend the customer. If an ID is not produced, then the person is believed to be child and should be informed that he or she must not enter any room wit the gust or be out of public view. Should the tourist insist of taking the child out of public view, the receptionist should call the attention of management who will in turn call the concern authorities. The embassy of the guest s country of origin and the tour operator must be also informed. Presentation by Group 4 No Guest should bring and under-aged child into the hotel rooms. No guest is allowed to take an under-aged child to an isolated area within the hotel All under-aged children brought to the Hotel by any guest should be screen to the satisfaction of the hotel s Child Protection policy by the security at the gate. All guests should be brief about thee code of conduct towards child sex tourism. The Hotel has zero tolerance towards child sex tourism. Protocol: 1. Have a concrete source of the incident 2. Name of the victim should be known to you 3. An urgent report should be made to the authorities concern to give the information: - Name of the culprit - Full description of the person - The place and time it occurred 25

26 - The nationality and destination of the person should all be mentioned in the information and given - Make sure that action is taken by the concern authorities. Reactions to the presentations on the Child Protection Policy development exercises: Discussions on the presentations indicate that strong measures need to be taken to protect children given the many ways and schemes that are being employed by offenders. We should not deny children their rights to enter hotels, what we should do instead is to monitor them not to enter into the rooms and isolated places with tourists. A participant shared with colleague that it is not good to put certain staff on permanent sift/duties. It this happen, there is always room for those staff to form a network and accept all kind of bribery and often allow guests to do illegal act without the notice of other staff outside that ring. In terms of recruiting workers of good character for a company, there is need to do a background check before appointing people to ensure that they have no history of child abuse. In wrapping up their presentations, the lead resource person told participants that when developing child protection policy, they must always start with a policy statement such as the total rejection of CST. PRESENTATION ON REPORTING CST BY CELINE The presentation shared basic information on how to report and what to report in CST cases. The presentation gave specific examples of indicators for reporting such as what to look for in detecting and reporting CST situations. She gave some hints on how to make reporting system effective and easy to follow. These include: Short, easy to remember and toll-free telephone numbers and online reporting Available 24 hours a day Staffed by trained, multi-lingual operators Possibility of anonymous reporting Formalised processes for recording and referring reports 26

27 Close cooperation with different stakeholders on national and international level Various forms of behavior and manners including words and gestures were highlighted for one to look out for in the incidence of CST. These include the following. A tourist who: Talk with vulnerable children regularly (street children, working children) Moves alone with a child Give money/gifts/food to families or children Say how much one loves children Inquire about situation of children Tries to buy a child for sexual exploitation A tourist sexually abusing a child A person selling a child A hotel or travel company allowing exploitation of children In reporting it was noted that the following details should be provided: Name of abuser Date(s) and location of abuse Where person resides Description of child/name of child, if possible If the abuser is a foreigner, additional information needed should included: Country of origin Where the person is staying Passport number, friends, associates, all details possible of the alleged abuser Reporting of alleged sexual exploitation by a tourist should be made to the police; local child rights NGOs and/or embassies if the offender is a foreigner. One major challenge in combating CST also concerns identification such as national ID cards or birth certificates where parents of abused children display these documents to claim that the child is above the required age. 27

28 DEVELOPING AWARENESS MATERIALS AND MESSAGES (I.E.C) Celine told participants that awareness creation is an effective way of combating CST and various channels and media are used which is paying dividend in a number of countries and places. She said some companies and hotels have use different ways of campaigning child Sex tourism through their products and properties. Group Work Developing Awareness Materials and Messages Groups presented their suggestions on types and contents of awareness creation materials using different media formats such as print, electronic and traditional communications singing and drama. Such materials as hotel towels and other materials tourists use can be used to carry messages imprinted on them. Presentation by Group 1 Messages written on a Key Holder o Stop Child Sex Tourism Presentation by Group 2 A sticker on a telephone handset in the rooms and public area o Stop Child Sex Tourism. Let s protect our future. Together We Can 28