Broad-based commitment to combating child sex tourism

Bern, 03.11.2011 - One year after the launch of “Don’t look away – www.stopchildsextourism.ch”, the campaign partners from Germany, Austria and Switzerland are reporting results at their meeting on 3-4 November in Berne. The campaign has helped raise public awareness in Switzerland of this problem. SECO now also supports the Tourism Child Protection Code (www.TheCode.org), an initiative to help prevent child sex tourism in developing countries.

The campaign “Don’t look away – www.stopchildsextourism.ch” seeks to raise public awareness of the problem of sexual exploitation of children and minors in tourism. An online form for reporting suspected cases is available for download on the campaign’s website. During the past year, various training and promotional events have been used to reach over 12,000 people throughout Switzerland.

The tri-national campaign is funded by public authorities and child-protection agencies in close cooperation with the travel industry. In Switzerland, these are the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and ECPAT Switzerland, a special unit set up within Kinderschutz Schweiz to combat child sex tourism. Representatives from France, Italy and Luxembourg are now also looking into the possibility of joining the initiative.

Apart from raising awareness at home, the campaign also focuses on preventing sexual exploitation of children in tourist destinations. Children and minors in the developing world are at particular risk of becoming victims of child sex tourism. As part of its economic development cooperation, SECO supports the expansion and implementation of the “Code of Conduct for the protection of children from sexual exploitation in travel and tourism” (Tourism Child Protection Code) with a contribution of USD 1.15 million (2011-2013).

The Tourism Child Protection Code is a code of conduct developed by the tourism sector and implemented in association with various NGOs so as to include travel professionals in the fight against child sex tourism. Several Swiss travel agencies and tour operators have signed up to the Tourism Child Protection Code.

Address for enquiries

State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO
Holzikofenweg 36
CH-3003 Bern
Tel. +41 58 462 56 56
medien@seco.admin.ch