The Hindu Business Line : UN panel on sexual exploitation of children

The United Nations World Committee on Tourism Ethics has decided to set up an executive committee as an advisory body of the task force against sexual exploitation of children through tourism to advise the committee from time to time on the issue.

Briefing newspersons after the two-day deliberations of the WCTE here, the Special Advisor to the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Secretary- General, Mr D.J. de Villiers, said several member-countries had now realised the impact of sexual exploitation of children on tourism and had voluntarily implemented the code of ethics to prevent it.

Several studies had revealed that sexual exploitation was coming down and could be effectively controlled through implementation of the code of ethics, he said.

He said the meeting considered two discussion papers on ethical questions related to overbooking incidence travel trade and extended support to a human rights initiative launched by UNWTO in partnership with the Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum.

It also approved a new code of ethics passport, a pocket edition of the global code and other relevant instruments useful for its implementation.

Stating that the WCTE was only an enabling agency to evolve codes with active participation of the stakeholders in the tourism industry, it said it was for the individual countries to ensure their adherence.

He, however, said the WCTE was not happy at the level of understanding of the codes by member-countries and he added that the committee would adopt persuasive methods for effective implementation of the code.

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