Sexual tourism against minors is a world plague that encompasses mainly the south east Asian region, Latin America, Africa and eastern Europe. Western countries are those which register the biggest outgoing fluxes. Sexual tourists abuse of the common channels and networks of tourism to reach their victims. Companies and workers in the sector may play an important role in the prevention and struggle against this practice. To be able to do this, they must learn how to identify and prevent it, they need to possess the knowledge and skills to identify it and have the tools to actively prevent those who exploit and those that make use of this practice from making use of tourist services to reach their victims. To Favor the establishment of a permanent social dialogue platform for tourism, encouraging the exchange and synergies between social parts throughout the whole supply chain, starting from the exchange of actions for the fight against child exploitation in the tourism sector, and the adoption of Directive 2011/92/EU. Analyze the ways in which services and tourism channels are used for illegal aims and identify changes linked with use of information and communication technologies. Evaluate good practices that social parts, individually or jointly, have enacted to prevent and fight against this phenomenon. Equip the tourism industry with innovative and practical tools for the struggle against child sexual exploitation throughout the whole supply chain. Il turismo sessuale a danno dei minori è una piaga mondiale che attanaglia in modo particolare Sud-est asiatico, America Latina, Africa ed Europa orientale. I paesi occidentali sono quelli da cui si registrano i maggiori flussi in partenza. I turisti sessuali abusano dei canali e delle reti del turismo per raggiungere le loro vittime. Imprese e lavoratori del settore possono giocare un ruolo prezioso per prevenire e contrastare il fenomeno. Per farlo essi devono imparare a riconoscerlo e a prevenirlo, devono cioè avere le conoscenze e le competenze per identificarlo ed essere dotati di strumenti concreti per impedire a sfruttatori e clienti di utilizzare i servizi turistici per raggiungere le loro vittime. Favorire l’istituzione del tavolo di dialogo sociale europeo del turismo incoraggiando gli scambi e le sinergie tra gli attori sociali di tutta la filiera, a partire dalla condivisione di azioni per la lotta allo sfruttamento sessuale dei minori nel turismo e l’attuazione della Direttiva 2011/92/UE sul tema.Analizzare le modalità con cui i servizi e i canali del turismo vengono utilizzati per scopi impropri e identificare i cambiamenti legati all’uso delle tecnologie di informazione e comunicazione Censire le buone pratiche che le parti sociali individualmente o collegialmente hanno messo in campo per prevenire e contrastare il fenomeno. Dotare l’industria del turismo di strumenti innovativi e pratici per il contrasto allo sfruttamento sessuale dei minori lungo tutta la filiera

1. Tourism policies department
SAFE HOST:
“Social Partners Together Against Sexual
Exploitation of Children in Travel and Tourism”
Fortezza Da Basso, Florence 18 – 19 May 2013
Office of the Prime Minister

2. The global code of ethics for tourism has been approved by
the UNWTO General Assembly in 1999, and was
officially adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2001.
Global code of Ethics for Tourism
SAFE HOST, Florence 18 – 19 May 2013

3. Global code of Ethics for TourismGlobal code of Ethics for Tourism
The code contains a series of principles aimed at
spreading a culture of hospitality, encounters and
mutual respect among different cultures and people,
and the promotion of a responsible and sustainable
tourism, for the defence of the environment and of the
immaterial cultural heritage.
The Code is addressed to all those that work in the
tourism sector, which may adopt it on a voluntary and
non binding basis, with the aim of performing
activities in an ethical way.
SAFE HOST, Florence 18 – 19 May 2013

4. The code is composed of written rules addressed to
workers of the tourism sector (central and local
Government, local communities, tourism industry and
professionals, including individual tourists).
Article 10 is particularly interesting, giving indications
on the implementation of the code's principles,
referring to public and private actor, and to
international institutions.
Global code of Ethics for TourismGlobal code of Ethics for Tourism
SAFE HOST, Florence 18 – 19 May 2013

5. • Art.1: Tourism as a tool of understanding and respect among peoples and
societies
• Art.2: Tourism as a means to achieve individual and collective aims
• Art.3: Tourism as a sustainable development factor
• Art.4: Tourism as fruition of the human cultural heritage and support towards
its enrichment
Art.5: Tourism as an convenient activity for countries and hosting communities
• Art.6: Obligations of tourism sector actors
• Art.7: Right to Tourism
• Art.8: Freedom of movement for tourism reasons
• Art.9: Tourism sector workers' and employers' rights
• Art.10: Implementation of Code principles
Global code of Ethics for TourismGlobal code of Ethics for Tourism
SAFE HOST, Florence 18 – 19 May 2013

6. Global code of Ethics for TourismGlobal code of Ethics for Tourism
The full text of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism is
available in a dedicated section of the UNWTO website
(www.unwto.org) translated in the six official
languages of the United Nations, and in the national
languages of 43 countries.
SAFE HOST, Florence 18 – 19 May 2013

7. UNWTO
(United Nations World Tourism Organization)
SAFE HOST, Florence 18 – 19 May 2013
Article 2:
“The exploitation of human beings in
any form, and in particular sexual
exploitation referred to choldren, is
against the fundamental objectives of
tourism and constitutes a negation of
tourism itself (...)”

8. UNWTO
2001 - The Guidelines for National Tourism
Administration (NTA) Focal Points:
support tourism officers of national administration (NTA) in
their commitment in favour of child protection against sexual
exploitation in tourism activities.
2004 - Code of Conduct to Protect Children
from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and
Tourism – ECPAT:
Gives a complete description of the initiatives
foreseen by the Code of Conduct for protecting
children from secual exploitation in travels and
tourism, a project started by ECPAT and hotel
chains.
SAFE HOST, Florence 18 – 19 May 2013

9. Established in 1997 as “Task Force for the Protection of Children in
Tourism” and renamed during the 2011 World Tourism Network on
Child Protection, gives assistance to the Global Committee for
Tourism Ethics.
It is an open network with a multistakeholder participation of
tourism actors, governments, international organizations and NGOs,
sector indutrial groups and media associations.
The aim of the Network is to avoid any form of youth exploitation in
the tourism sector (for example sexual exploitation, child labor and
child trafficking).
World Tourism Network on Child Protection
SAFE HOST, Florence 18 – 19 May 2013

10. Based on the principles of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, the
mission of this network is to support the efforts towards child protection
from any form of exploitation in tourism. Its main objectives are:
• raise awareness in the tourism industry, among governments and tourists
themselves;
• encourage the tourism industry to committing in ethical practices, in particular
through the adoption of codes of conduct and other self regulating measures;
• invite governments to adopt administrative and juridic measures, such as the
designation of focal points within national tourism administrations, the creation of
emergency numbers, the strengthening of national legislations and the
improvement of services given by security forces;
• encourage the cooperation between public and private sector;
• monitor the fight against sexual exploitation of children in tourism both at a
national and international level.
World Tourism Network on Child Protection
SAFE HOST, Florence 18 – 19 May 2013

11. Based on an agreement between the Italian government and
UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organization), the office of
the Prime Minister is host since 2008 of the “Permanent Secretariat
of the Tourism Ethics”.
Recently Italy has renewed the agreement with UNWTO signing a
Memorandum of Understanding (February 14th
2013) which by the
way changed the denomination of the Permanent Secretariat in
“Centre for the promotion of the Global Code of Ethics for
Tourism”
Centre for the Promotion of the UNWTO Global
Code of Ethics for Tourism
SAFE HOST, Florence 18 – 19 May 2013

12. Functions established by the Memorandum:
1) strengthern the promotion and knowledge of the Global
Code for Ethics in Tourism;
2) develop research activities and data gathering on ethical
issues related to sustainability in tourism, and to the
accountability and reliability of workers in the tourism sector;
3) organize meetings of the Global Committe for Ethics in
Tourism in Italy related to the Code.
SAFE HOST, Florence 18 – 19 May 2013
Centre for the Promotion of the UNWTO Global
Code of Ethics for Tourism

13. The Centre operates in synergy with the central office
inMadrid, following a global promotion strategy of the Global
Code of Ethics in Tourism, approved by the UNWTO General
Assembly, which includes 3 main pillars:
• Dissemination
• Communication
• Implementation
SAFE HOST, Florence 18 – 19 May 2013
Centre for the Promotion of the UNWTO Global
Code of Ethics for Tourism

14. Dissemination
Distribution of 10000 copies of
the Global Code of Ethics for
Tourism in passport format,
bilingual version (Italian and
English);
SAFE HOST, Florence 18 – 19 May 2013

15. Dissemination
Distribution of 5000 copies of the
brochure dedicated to the
commitment of Italy towards
UNWTO policies and the diffusion
of the Global Code principles, in a
bilingual version;
SAFE HOST, Florence 18 – 19 May 2013

16. Dissemination
Distribution of 1000 copies of the
brochure dedicated to the global
commitment towards accessible
tourism, in Italian and English.
SAFE HOST, Florence 18 – 19 May 2013

17. Communication:
Organize thematic conferences in occasion of the
International Tourism Exchange in Milan (BIT)
2010: “Ethics and Tourism: win the challenge“
2011: “Ethical tourism and Participation“
2012: “Information and safeguard of
tourist/consumers:Informazione e tutela del
turista/consumatore:
“Towards innovative and shared tools”
2013: “Accessibility in tourism : ethical value and
economic opportunities” SAFE HOST, Florence 18 – 19 May 2013
Centre for the Promotion of the UNWTO Global
Code of Ethics for Tourism

18. At a national level, in occasion of the World
Tourism Day, the Centre has involved the
Ministry for Regional Affairs, Tourism and
Sport, regions and major stakeholders for the
signature of a Protocol of understanding for
the adoption of the principles of the Global
Code of Ethics for Tourism, a first step at a
national level towards the creation of a
framework for the elaboration of common
initiatives.
Signatories: Federturismo, Confturismo,
Assoturismo, Aitr, Fitus.
Rome, September 27th
, 2012
SAFE HOST, Florence 18 – 19 May 2013
Centre for the Promotion of the UNWTO Global Code of
Ethics for Tourism
Implementation:

19. “Rules of behaviour, against sexual and commercial exploitation of
children in tourism activities”.
At an international level, the implementation activities of the articles of the Global
Code for Ethics in Tourism have continued, through the creation of model
agreements, approved by the UNWTO General Assembly, to be shared with
Authorities and major stakeholders, relative to:
• The level of professionalism of tourism operators (art.9), with the signing of a
“protocol of understanding between the Ministryu of Tourism and FIPE for the
introduction of rules of behaviour for Restaurants aimed at promoting tourism”.
• accessibility, fairness and quality of services offered to tourists (art.6),
•The fight against human exploitation (art.2), in particular regarding children,
elaborating rules of conduct for travel organizers, air companies and hotel
managers to fight against exploitation of children in tourism, referring to UN
Conventions on the right of children and the Stockholm declaration on sexual
exploitation of children.
SAFE HOST, Florence 18 – 19 May 2013
Centre for the Promotion of the UNWTO Global Code of
Ethics for Tourism

20. Since its creation, the Secretariat has operated for the
implementation of dissemination activities and awareness raising on
the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, committing in a series of
initiatives with associations operating in the world of tourism.
With this spirit, in 2008 the Government, receiving the principles
declared by the Code of Conduct of the Italian tourism industry, has
launched the idea of a certification of responsible tourism (CTR) and
the acquisition of the use of the symbol by tour operators and travel
agencies. The idea was supported by a media campaign on the
theme “What if it was your son?”
Centre for the Promotion of the UNWTO Global Code of
Ethics for Tourism
SAFE HOST, Florence 18 – 19 May 2013

21. The centre cooperates with all sector stakeholders for the
creation and distribution of information material to be
disseminated, as best practice models, in occasion of
sector institutional events with the aim of promoting a
series of initiatives for awareness raising and
communication purposes against sex tourism, addressed
to tourism workers and travellers.
Contacts: ethics@governo.it
Tel: +39 066779 5281
Centre for the Promotion of the UNWTO Global
Code of Ethics for Tourism
SAFE HOST, Florence 18 – 19 May 2013