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Event Detail

Promoting Child Safe Tourism Policies to Prevent Trafficking in Children and Women for Labour and Sexual Exploitation in Cambodia

Venue Information

Event Details

The Ceremony was opened by HE Ms Kang Boran (Under Secretary of State of Tourism & Vice Chairman of Child Safe Tourism Committee).

Mr. Hor Sarun (Deputy Director General Admin and Finance & Project Technical Coordinator, MOT-ILO IPEC/TICW) presented the “Strategic Plan 2007-2009 on Child Safe Tourism.” Ms Thetis Mangahas (Chief Technical Advisor, ILO) provided remarks on the ILO’s work in Cambodia, while the Minister of Tourism, H.E. Dr Thong Khon, gave the speech for the official launch of the documents. These documents are the:

• Strategic Plan 2007-2009;
• Operational Guidelines 2007-2009; and 
• Training Manual 2006-2008.

Copies of these will be housed at the UNIAP Cambodia Office.

These documents are regarded as an important benchmark in Cambodia’s adherence to the Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative Against Trafficking (COMMIT)’s Project Proposal Concept (PPC) number 9: Cooperation with the Tourism Sector. For more information about the COMMIT process and the Sub-Regional Plan of Action (SPA)’s PPCs, please see the attached document.

Background:
The three year Strategic Plan builds on the platform established with the Ministry of Tourism (and other Government partners)’s 2001 Child Safe Tourism (CST) Programme. The CST Programme supports protection projects for communities of high tourism growth with the aim of offsetting problems associated with increased tourism, especially human trafficking.

There are two important National Plans of Action associated with this Programme and to the recently launched documents. These are: the National Plan of Action on Trafficking in Persons and Sexual Exploitation (NPA-TIPSE); and the National Plan of Action on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour (NPA-WFCL).

The CST Programme’s objective is:
To protect vulnerable young women and children in tourism sites and communities and in tourism stablishments/services from being trafficked for sexual and labour exploitation and being violated of their of labour rights [sic].

It was introduced as a safeguard to the Government’s goal of continued growth in Cambodia’s tourism industry. Tourism recognized as a very important part of Cambodia’s economic development. Statistics provided at the Launch indicated a 19.46% increase in international tourist numbers from 2006-7. Key tourist areas are: Siem Riep; Sihanoukville; and Phnom Penh. Hence, the three pilot projects for CST’s Strategic Plan will be held in these cities. These projects will aim to involve businesses and community organizations in promoting messages and protocol of child safe tourism, as well as establish (and support existing) social services for rehabilitation of victims of trafficking. The Strategic Plan was designed by the ILO, who additionally produced Operational Guidelines and a Training Manual. These provide direction for Partners to the Strategic Plan to implementation of the pilot projects, they also include tools for use in monitoring and evaluation. It is envisioned that Action Planning workshops will be held to educate Partner agencies and collaborating organizations on key aspects of protection and prevention, as well as strengthen their capacity to promote child safe tourism. 

(Source: UNIAP Cambodia)