Watch: Sexual Exploitation of Children in Travel and Tourism 2017 Conference

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Watch: Sexual Exploitation of Children in Travel and Tourism 2017 Conference

8:45 CAT | 20 Jun 2017

SABC

Child Welfare South Africa (CWSA) is spearheading a conference starting Tuesday in Pretoria to address child trafficking on the continent.

The conference will be looking at how predators use the tourism industry is as a means for child trafficking.

A number of leaders from countries on the continent such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Tanzania , Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe will be attending the two day conference.

The Sexual Exploitation of Children in Travel and Tourism (SECTT) that was launched in 2016 found that the growing travel tourism destinations on the continent have created avenues for predators to have access to children.

According to the UN the booming tourism destinations that boosts economic development, also puts children at risk of being kidnapped and exploited.

Dr Benny Obayi, the Acting Executive Director of Child Welfare South Africa, joins us in studio.

“Ensuring Coordinated Actions to Combat Sexual Exploitation of Children in Travel and Tourism in Eastern and Southern Africa”.

Child Welfare South Africa and ECPAT International are hosting a regional conference on Combating Sexual Exploitation of Children in Travel and Tourism. The conference will be held at the Sheraton Hotel in Pretoria, South Africa from 20 to 21 June 2017, under the theme “Ensuring Coordinated Actions to Combat Sexual Exploitation of Children in Travel and Tourism in Eastern and Southern Africa”.

The conference will engage on the key findings of the Global Study on Sexual Exploitation of Children in Travel and Tourism conducted by ECPAT International, and specifically consider how to take the recommendations forward in Africa and apply them. The guest list includes delegates from countries including Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, as well as the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.

“According to the study, several countries in Africa are becoming popular tourist destinations. Countries such as South Africa and Kenya make claims to how travel and tourism are among the key drivers of economic development. However, the growth in travel and tourism has also increased the opportunities and avenues for the exploitation of children”, says Dr Benny Obayi, acting National Executive Director at Child Welfare South Africa.

In many countries, travel and tourism are inextricably linked to the sex industry. The increase in the number of local and international travelers for business and leisure has increased the number of people that are in pursuit of erotic pleasures.

The study also shows that the extent of sexual exploitation of children has increased drastically and its nature has changed over time. The South African component indicates that most of the cases of child sexual exploitation reported between 2014 and 2015 related to exploitation through prostitution.

“The commercial sexual exploitation of children is becoming an increased form of child abuse in South Africa which is at an epidemic state. Between May and June of 2017, the South African Police Service rescued more than 10 young girls from sex slave dens in Gauteng and the Western Cape. The rescue of children entrapped in sex slave dens has become a regular occurrence, but it would seem society has not awakened to the dangers of this reality”, concludes Obayi.

The Global Study on sexual exploitation of Children in Travel and Tourism (www.globalstudysectt.org) which was launched in 2016 makes specific recommendations for various stakeholders such as the role of national governments; international and regional organisations; civil society groups; the private sector, including companies working in travel, tourism, transportation, information communications technology, and those whose staff members travel for business.

About CWSA

CWSA is one the oldest and largest non-government, child protection organisation in South Africa. CWSA is an umbrella body with a National Office and nine Provincial Offices. CWSA represents 164 child welfare organisations in communities across the provinces of South Africa. CWSA leads in the advocacy for children’s rights and ensures that child protection issues are placed on all stakeholder’s agendas.

For further information on CWSA, please contact:

Dr Benny Obayi

247 Monument Road, Glen Marais, Kempton Park

Email: [email protected] Tel: +27 11 452 4110

Source: SABC / Child Welfare SA