This report aims to raise awareness and spur action from governments, the tourism industry and civil society organisations to end the sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism (SECTT). This study, funded by the Dutch Government and overseen by the members of the ECPAT High-Level Global Taskforce , contains contributions from the global ECPAT Network, partners and experts, including Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre and Better Care Network, as well as other law enforcement agencies, governments and universities.
The Global Study has collected and analysed qualitative and quantitative information on the SECTT in all regions of the world, including case studies and good practices. The findings from 9 regional reports (East Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East and North Africa, North America, The Pacific, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa) reveal similarities, such as an increased diversification of travel and tourism infrastructure and the increased use by offenders of mobile technologies, while also highlighting challenges that are specific to each region. Some of the key findings of the study include the need for a broader view on SECTT given its spread and the need for a clear global definition of SECTT that would be mirrored within national legislations.
The report emphasises the need for cross-sectoral partnerships and aligned approaches in SECTT prevention and interventions, recommending that partners across sectors around the world should come together to push for effective laws, strong enforcement, the end of impunity for offenders, and most importantly better protection of children.
One of the accompanying documents from this study is an Expert Paper on International Volunteering and Child Sexual Abuse, written by Better Care Network and the Better Volunteering Better Care Initiative.
