Our Member Relationship Manager, Iain Clements, was honored to have made a guest appearance on TravelTalkRADIO in October, alongside radio host Sandy Dhuyvetter and ECPAT-USA’s representative Michelle Guelbart. They spoke about The Code’s work with the tourism industry to keep children safe from commercial sexual exploitation, as well as The Code’s relationship to ECPAT.
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The Code vs. ECPAT?
Sandy Dhuyvetter opened up the conversation asking how The Code and ECPAT actually work together, and their relationship to one another. The Code began as an initiative of ECPAT Sweden back in 1996. Iain explained that today the organizations are technically separate from one another, though they continue to work closely together. Indeed, in many cases, national ECPAT groups work as local Code representatives in countries around the world.
Sandy Dhuyvetter: “So you are technically separate?”
Iain Clements: “We are, but it’s a partnership model. The Code’s essentially a very small team of only 4 full-time employees and 3 interns, so what we rely on is ECPAT’s international network of local representatives, such as Michelle in the States, who do a fabulous job of being on the ground. They understand the local issues, and in many cases speak the local language”
Referred to as our ‘Local Code Representatives’, organizations like ECPAT-USA are integral in seeking out tourism companies that sign the Code of Conduct for the protection of children. By signing onto The Code, those companies make a commitment to implement the six criteria necessary to keep children safe from sexual exploitation in travel and tourism.
A sustainable tourism industry
An increasing interest in creating a sustainable tourism industry links to the current trends in corporate social responsibility, said Iain on TravelTalkRADIO, leading the discussion toward the positive impact the tourism industry can have on both the community and on fellow tourism leaders by setting an example and as a voluntary industry standard. He explains, “We are increasingly seeing an interest from tourism companies to bolster their corporate social responsibility image, to publicly set out where they are going as a business and to help in a global community of tourism professionals. We believe we are an important part of that”
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Please have a listen to Iain’s appearance on TravelTalkRADIO for more information about The Code, as well as the positive work ECPAT-USA has been doing for the protection of children from sex tourism.
