agency and not an NGO, it’s quite powerful” EMMANUELLE WERNER, FRIENDS INTERNATIONAL
Operators need to consider the needs of indigenous people
industry. Having been designed in consultation with businesses and experts, these guidelines are more practical than most, including a section on implementation. Jamie Sweeting, president of Planeterra and vice president of G Adventures, comments: “Our new child welfare guidelines are designed to be adopted by other travel companies in a bid to help the industry as a whole become more aware and responsible.” “When the message comes from a travel agency and not an NGO, it’s quite powerful,” Werner observes. Another example of a business tackling the issue of child protection head-on is Friends International’s work with UK-based STC International, a school expedition tour operator. “STC kept getting asked by schools to include orphanages in their expeditions for schoolchildren, and they didn’t want to do it, so they came to us to help them put together a strategy outlining why they don’t offer that,” remembers Werner.
2) Public-private partnerships Since 2011, there has been a rise in partnerships between travel businesses, destinations and governments to advance child protection issues. All crew members of Tui Airways in the UK participate in modern slavery and trafficking training during induction, learning how to spot and report trafficking, and in 2017, the training was refreshed under the supervision of the UK Border Force. While border police have one contact point with individuals, airline crews have multiple and can, therefore, be vital assets in the interception of children at risk. Tui in the Netherlands is also
working with Dutch police to create crew training covering various topics, including trafficking.
3) Action, not words During today’s panel session, Goodwin will take the opportunity to challenge the industry. He says: “We need to move beyond guidelines and company statements and get businesses to take real action.” For Goodwin, Tui is a good example of a company that has moved beyond guidelines and ensured that child protection policies are embedded in excursion policy and worldwide training. Orphanage visits have not formed any part of Tui’s excursions portfolio for a number of years, and in 2018, its service manuals were updated to ensure that Tui Destination Experiences prohibits orphanage visits and school visits during school hours. G Adventures is now embarking on a similar mission. Sweeting says:
“The development and release of the Child Welfare Guidelines was a key milestone in our commitment to child protection. Since then, we have developed and launched company- wide training, informed our global supply chain of what we are doing and our expectations from them, launched an industry pledge with ChildSafe and are set to launch our consumer- facing campaign this November.” Other companies that will be discussed during the session are Projects Abroad, which, under increased pressure from NGOs, in 2017 announced the decision to no longer send volunteers to institutions for children, and People and Places, that is actively asking orphanage donors to direct their funds elsewhere. Sallie Grayson, programme director at People and Places, adds: “For real change to come about, child protection needs to be embedded in process – it’s not enough to say we will not work with orphanages.”
4) Providing opportunity Moving beyond reactive measures, during the panel session Goodwin will share examples of proactive approaches to child protection. One of Tui Care Foundation’s three pillars is “empowering young people”, and initiatives include Tui Academy, providing vocational training to disadvantaged young people, and Tui Chances, local schooling and education projects. These include a hotel school in the Dominican Republic specifically for underprivileged girls, a programme in Vietnam focusing on catering skills, and a guide school in Agadir, Morocco, that takes onboard a 50/50 split of girls and boys.
What now? The panel session will
demonstrate that child protection is a broader issue than many think. While the focus over the last few years has been mainly on sexual exploitation and the traffi cking of children, including into orphanages, efforts need to be made to tackle cases of begging and child labour. Goodwin believes there are four ways in which the whole travel industry should step up:
1) Stop child begging Journalists, outbound operators, tour leaders and guides need to discourage tourists giving to begging children.
2) Rally awareness Governments need to run effective campaigns in arrival halls and immigration informing travellers that anyone responsible for the sexual abuse of children will be imprisoned, and provide a hotline so anyone can report suspicions or concerns.
3) Check supply chains Operators and accommodation providers need to look closely at their supply chains to see whether there is child labour involved and then to think carefully about what their response should be. They must take responsibility.
4) Address orphanage tourism Operators need to stop taking groups to orphanages and realise that, if they do, they may well be encouraging traffi cking and institutionalisation. The industry leaders must demonstrate why tourists should not give to orphanages, and use contractual infl uence to stop hotels advertising, providing or encouraging visiting or donating to orphanages.
Schooling and education projects can empower young people
■ How do we best achieve progress on child protection? takes place 2.15-3.15pm today in the UK and Ireland Inspiration Zone (TA190). Seats within the session are on a fi rst-come, fi rst-served basis
05.11.2018 23
“When the message comes from a travel
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