Representatives of the Association of Hotels and Restaurants of the North (ASONAHORES) has signed the Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children and Adolescents from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism.
By signing the agreement the association commits itself to establish a corporate ethical policy against commercial sexual exploitation of children and adolescents by training its entire staff on how to detect and prevent any misconduct, to provide information to tourists and other to implement other obligations.
Among those present at the signing agreeing that commercial sexual exploitation is a threat and a crime against the rights of children and that is considered a modern form of slavery, were ASONAHORES irector, Max Iglesias; Director of the Association of Hotels, Jessica Martinez; and Maria Elena Asuad, UNICEF Protection Officer.
Prevention against commercial sexual exploitation
There is a growing concern that more and more vulnerable children and teenagers are becoming victims of commercial sexual exploitation in the Dominican Republic and in other areas further development of tourism. Hence, to confront
this problem, the Government of the Dominican Republic, with support from the International Labour Organization and UNICEF, created in 2011 the Commission against the Commercial Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children and Adolescents.
This was composed by the Ministries of Tourism and Labour, ASONAHORES, and a number of other civil society, and international organizations.
The Commission made a plan for the eradication of commercial sexual exploitation by implementing several services including to provide assistance to victims and by raising awareness to domestic and foreign visitors on the prohibition of child sexual exploitation and its consequences.
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