Did you know that FTTSA is the local Code (the Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism) representative in South Africa?
The Code is an industry-driven, multi-stakeholder initiative with the mission to provide awareness, tools and support to the tourism industry in order to combat the sexual exploitation of children in contexts related to travel and tourism.
As part of this mission, The Code employs the following six criteria which members of the tourism industry must adhere to once they join The Code:
- Establish an ethical policy against sexual exploitation of children;
- Train personnel and staff members;
- Introduce a clause about being a member of The Code in contracts with suppliers;
- Provide information to travellers in the form of brochures, web pages or other materials;
- Provide information to “key persons” at the destination;
- Report annually on the implementation of actions associated with these six criteria
The Code represents one of the first initiatives to define the role and obligations of tourism companies with regard to the issue of child sex tourism. The goal of The Code is to work with travel and tourism companies to combat this crime.
We believe that, by endeavoring to meet the six criteria of The Code, tourism companies can integrate child protection into their business operations. The six criteria were formulated to turn child protection principles into concrete actions. In this way, they will uphold their commitments towards sustainable and ethical tourism by taking tangible actions to help protect children from sexual exploitation.
40 South African tourism businesses have signed The Code to date. For more information, please refer to www.thecode.org
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