Students took part in a workshop organised by ECPAT Deutschland e.V., a network dedicated to protecting children from sexual exploitation.
Kleve/Kamp-Lintfort, 22 January 2016: During a workshop led by Miriam Landhofer from the ECPAT Germany network and Chief Detective Inspector Christa van Meegen, the pupils gained an insight into the work of this international network, which is committed to protecting children from commercial exploitation and sexual abuse. The acronym ECPAT stands for ‘End Child Prostitution, Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes’ and, in addition to various international branches, has its headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand.
Most people associate tourism with positive aspects; however, it is important not to turn a blind eye to issues such as the sexual abuse or commercial exploitation of children in holiday destinations. During the training session organised by Prof. Dr Diana Marquardt, Professor of Business Administration specialising in the tourism industry at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, the two speakers explained this widespread problem and informed the students about how to deal with specific cases of sexual abuse and appropriate prevention strategies. They also introduced the travel industry’s Child Protection Code as a tool for protecting children and outlined the specific actions students could take in their roles as tourism professionals.
Following this, the students were asked to apply the theory they had learnt to practical case studies. To this end, the students worked in small groups to develop concepts for public relations and awareness-raising initiatives and practised this communication through role-plays.
“I found the workshop very informative because it raised awareness of many issues, and as a result I’ll be more vigilant in future, both whilst on holiday and in everyday life, to help prevent cases of child sex tourism. Everyone should have the courage to intervene later on – whether as a member of staff, a manager or even just as an observer – and to inform the relevant authorities about any ‘suspicious situations’,” said Stephanie Lamp, a fifth-semester student at Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences, after the workshop.
ECPAT Deutschland e. V. – Working Group for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation – is a nationwide alliance of 29 institutions and groups.
