DON’T LOOK AWAY!

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Witness of a suspicious situation?

Report about sexual exploitation of children! Even when you travel…

Every year, as many as 1.8 million children are victims of commercial sexual exploitation worldwide. Some are exploited by tourists or travellers, some are trafficked into sexual slavery and millions of images of child sexual abuse circulate daily on the internet.
Welcome to the International Platform against child sex tourism! Helping you to report the sexual exploitation of children in the context of travel and tourism

You withness something? > You want to react? > Complete the form

About us

ECPAT is a global network of organisations working together for the elimination of child prostitution, child pornography and trafficking of children for sexual purposes. It seeks to ensure that children everywhere enjoy their fundamental rights, free and secure from all forms of commercial sexual exploitation.“Don’t Look Away!” is a 3-year project involving members of the ECPAT network from 16 European countries. This project, which aims to promote new ways to combat the sexual exploitation of children in the context of travel and tourism, is co-funded by the European Union. It also benefits from the support of government ministries as well as other public and private actors, including from the tourism sector, in the 16 countries involved.

The project aims at strengthening the protection of children and young people against sexual exploitation by tourists or travellers by means of:

Information campaigns for raising public awareness (of tourists and travellers in particular).
Research on the sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism.
Creation and promotion of online reporting mechanisms to facilitate the reporting of suspected cases of sexual exploitation of children in the context of travel and tourism.
Mobilizing the support and strengthening the capacity of key stakeholders such as tourist industry, police and local/state authorities.

How to react

By reporting

You are a witness of a situation which makes you suspicious that a child is sexually exploited. Watch carefully and try to remember as many details as you can. Remember the key words “who”, “when”, “where”.

2. Advices

- Advice 01
If you think that the situation is urgent, always call the police immediately

- Advice 02
If your country does not have an online reporting mechanism you can either use that of another country if you understand the language, or contact your country’s embassy in the travel destination. They may be able to inform the competent authorities

- Advice 03
Even if your report does not directly lead to the arrest of the person, it may prove an invaluable contribution to a wider investigation. Often, investigation into sex crimes against children take several years and the exchange of information between different national and international police forces.

- Advice 04
By reporting suspected cases of child sex tourism, and encouraging others to report, you can make a difference! Want to run a campaign? Contact the programme coordinators for information and to receive the campaign material!

3. How to report?

Click the button REPORT , to be redirected to the ACTIVE FORM, where you can report what you have witnessed.

4. What happens with my message?

The national police will transmit the information to the police in the country where the suspected perpetrator is resident as well as to European or international police agencies such as Europol and Interpol if necessary.

Even if your report does not lead to direct arrest of the perpetrator, it could be a valuable contribution to a more extensive investigation. Investigations of sexual crimes and exchange of information between different national and international police forces may take several years.

5. Spread the word

You can help more people to report by spreading the word about the existing online reporting mechanism. Like us in this website and Facebook and let your friends know that you react against child sex-tourism.

By reporting suspicious cases of child sex-tourism and encouraging others to report such cases you can contribute to a change! Call the coordinators of the programme for information and ask for materials about the campaign!

Result

The reporting of cases gives valuable information to the police forces of different countries where children are sexually exploited.

In the long run, joint action and reported cases of child sex-tourism help protect children from sexual exploitation and decrease the number of victims.

About the problem

National reporting mechanisms

The national reporting mechanisms all have their own ways of functioning and are not currently standardized. Nevertheless, they all enable information regarding cases of child sexual exploitation to be transmitted to the relevant authorities of that country. In addition, both national and European law enforcement authorities cooperate with each other and exchange information regarding travelling child sex offenders.

You may also choose the online reporting mechanism of another country if you know the language and accept the conditions of the respective reporting form (e.g. depending on the reporting mechanism, you may not be able to make an anonymous report) by using www.reportchildsextourism.eu and click on your country flag For more information about how reporting child sex tourism works in your country, please click on your country flag. If you need further information or advice, please do not hesitate to contact ECPAT Bulgaria on its E-mail: ecpatbulgaria@gmail.com.

Sexual exploitation of children in the context of travel and tourism (child sex tourism)

Sexual exploitation of children in the context of travel and tourism (this term is used by ECPAT instead of “child sex tourism” to underline that it is a violation of children’s rights and to avoid presenting it as an acceptable form of tourism) occurs when an individual travels, either within his/her own country or internationally, and engages in sexual acts with a child (i.e. a person who is less than 18 years old). The perpetrators of such crimes often travel from a richer country to a poorer one but they may also travel within their own country.
Not all perpetrators are pedophiles (adults with a sexual preference for prepubescent children). Some offenders may be tempted to engage in sexual acts with a child whilst away from home due to various reasons such as a feeling of anonymity and/or impunity, because the opportunity presents itself more easily, or because of prejudices. (S)he may be curious to “experience something new” and may be encouraged by the fact that the exploitation appears to be open or tolerated within the community. Some victims may be trafficked and forced into sexual slavery through violent means whilst others may seem complicit. However, this complicity is often the result of remuneration in cash or in kind made by the perpetrator to the victim or his/her family. It is still a situation of exploitation.
Sexual exploitation of children in the context of travel and tourism is a growing problem and new forms are constantly emerging, particularly as different types of tourism and travel develop in new destination countries. As the problem grows and travel becomes more accessible, it has also become more frequent for tourists and travellers to witness situations in which children are sexually exploited. Almost all European countries have adopted extraterritorial laws that allow for child sex offenders to be prosecuted in their home country for crimes committed abroad.

Don’t Look Away!

Let’s act together for a world where children are protected from sexual exploitation.

Contacts

ЕCPAT Bulgaria – Neglected Children Society

Tel/fax: 02/986 1103; Mob.: +359 878/400074

ecpatbulgaria@gmail.com; neglchildren@yahoo.com;