The UNWTO has formed a new partnership with World Vision aimed at combating child exploitation in the tourism industry in Asia.
A new memorandum of understanding (MoU) with World Vision’s regional office for East Asia is intended to monitor the impact of tourism on local communities and fight the exploitation of children in these areas.
Measures covered under the MoU include the promotion of tools, best practices and case studies to support child protection in tourism. This forms part of World Vision’s ‘Child Safe Tourism Campaign’, which has been endorsed by the governments of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.
“In Southeast Asia, World Vision has a number of programmes dedicated to reducing harm to children from abuse, exploitation and trafficking, including in the tourism sector. Tourism is growing rapidly in this region bringing many opportunities as well as some risks to children. For this reason we are pleased to be joining forces with UNWTO in our joint sustainable approach to child safe tourism,” said World Vision’s East Asia director, Warren Climenhaga.
The UNWTO has been working in this area for 15 years, through its World Tourism Network on Child Protection. It will now coordinate these efforts with World Vision.
“The growth of the tourism sector brings important development opportunities, but also immense challenges, affecting namely the most vulnerable groups of society,” said UNWTO secretary-general, Taleb Rifai.
“It is imperative that the tourism sector stakeholders work together to tackle the pressing issue of child exploitation. World Vision has always been appreciated as a very committed and active partner of the UNWTO World Tourism Network on Child Protection and we are very happy to be able to join our efforts in fighting such a hideous practice as child exploitation.”
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