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ASEAN Campaign to Combat Child Sex Tourism Launched in Ha Noi, Vietnam

Child-sex offenders are not welcome in Viet Nam, Deputy Director of Viet Nam Administration of Tourism Pham Tu said at an ASEAN-wide advertising campaign launched in Ha Noi. The campaign is being jointly conducted by the Viet Nam Government and domestic and international businesses to protect the country’s children from sexual exploitation.

The new campaign was a result of a ten-year partnership between ASEAN, the Australian Government and Child Wise, which has resulted in improved laws, better law enforcement, heightened surveillance, and jail terms for tourists who sexually exploit children. "Recent events had shown there was a deep need to protect our children and our tourism industry. By working in partnership with the business sector, we will send a strong message that child-sex offenders are not welcome in Viet Nam," said Tu.

Australia’s Ambassador to Viet Nam Bill Tweddell said that most tourists were responsible travellers and that the Australian Government was committed to protecting children by helping to stop the small minority of tourists who exploit children sexually. Anita Dodds, representative of Child Wise, a leading child protection agency in Australia, said the campaign would encourage local citizens and responsible tourists to use the national hotline if they observe tourists behaving suspiciously around local children. She lauded the Vietnamese and Australian governments for their practical efforts to stop child-sex tourism and asked business leaders to get involved in the practical child protection campaign. "Now, we need the support of the business sector to ensure the campaign is visible in all prime tourist destinations,” said Dodds.

If you see suspicious behaviour, please report to the authorities on the national hotline 558 7777.
If you want to learn how your business can participate in the campaign, please contact VNAT on (04) 942 1065 (within Vietnam).

(Source: AFESIP Vietnam)