FOROYAA Newspaper (Serrekunda)
Awa B. Bah
11 November 2009
The Child Protection Alliance in collaboration with ECPAT Netherlands on Thursday conducted a two day training workshop for stakeholders from the tourism sector at the Baobab Resort. The training is geared towards capacity building and sharing on interventions and policy issues, on tourism in the Gambia. Renowned trainers from ECPAT Netherlands served as the lead facilitators.
At the commencement of the training, there was an introduction into the local context in terms of policy issues, initiatives and law enforcement. This will provide a general overview as per actions taken to stop or minimise child sex tourism.
Delivering his speech at the opening ceremony, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Tourism, Mr. Kalifa Senghore briefed the participants on government policy in combating child sex tourism and the damage of child sex tourism to the tourism industry and the incident of sexual exploitation of children in tourism.
He revealed that the rapid growth of international tourism does not only represent an economic boom for most tourism destinations, it sometimes also produces negative socio-economic and cultural impact which become evident, in particular, in the exploitation of human beings through sex tourism. This phenomenon he said is even more repulsive when those who are directly affected by it are children and adolescents. Mr Senghore painted out that the sexual exploitation of children in tourism is a problem which concerns all countries, not only the Gambia as tourism destination. The members of the world Tourism Organisation, of which the Gambia is a member, has taken a stand firm against this practice by unanimously adopting the UNWTO statement on the prevention of organised sex tourism in 1995 and the Global Code of Ethics in Tourism 1999, the latter affording tourism stakeholders the possibility of addressing the issue of child exploitation within an internationally agreed framework for the responsible and sustainable development of tourism.
Senghore used the occasion to invite all to read the report on the incident of sexual exploitation of children in tourism which provides valuable information, illustration by case studies on the nature and extent of this phenomenon, methodology and tools for use in awareness raising campaigns and in monitoring such campaigns, as well as recommendations addressed to the public and private tourism stakeholders.
Best known through the international media, as child sex tourism, the commercial exploitation of children in tourism is part of a global phenomenon. Child sex tourism involves the sexual abuse and exploitation of children in tourism by those who normally do not live in the location where the abuse takes place. It includes children abused and exploited through their involvement in
- prostitution and sex tourism;
- paedophilia related child abuse; and
- pornography
Child sex tourism involves domestic and international tourists and business travellers and also refers to expatriates who are temporary residents in the location where the abuse has taken place. It often runs parallel to the local sex industry, and similarly, may be supported and patronized by locals.
He indicated that the incidence of child abuse and exploitation in tourist destinations has increased in recent years with tourism being used as a vehicle for easy access.
He said that the nature of child sex tourism has changed over time, away from formal industry structures such as sex terms to more informal network often operating via the internet. Child sex tourism now occurs in a range of settings - contacts many take place in restaurants, bars or public places whilst abuse often occurs in private houses, guest houses and even in large hotels. A variety of tourism mechanism may be used including taxi drivers, tour guides, and the relaxation of social and cultural boundaries that are often found in the tourism environment. Senghore said that the government of the Gambia in addressing this menace introduced the Tourism Offences Act 2003. It also set up a multi sectoral task force to address the problem. According to him, this has warranted a significant reduction in this criminal activity. Now we have a code of conduct that is a prerequisite for licensing.
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