DOMINICAN REPUBLIC TRAINING WORKSHOP ON THE SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM

Our Committed Partners

The seven international and local organisations that participated in the workshop organised by IBCR and Plan Dominican Republic:

Plan Netherlands

MAIS-ECPAT Dominican Republic Caminante

Hogar Renacer

Save the Children

Casa Abierta UNICEF

BRIEF PROJECT HISTORY: In November 2014, the IBCR was invited to Amsterdam to present its experience in the fight against the sexual exploitation of children in the travel and tourism industry in Costa Rica, as part of the Virtual Global Taskforce’s annual conference. The international meeting brought together the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and over a dozen law enforcement agencies from around the world, with the aim of strengthening international partnerships between law enforcement agencies, non-governmental organisations and industries for the protection of children against online abuse and other forms of sexual exploitation on a transnational level. During the meeting, the IBCR held working sessions with Plan Netherlands to develop their worldwide programme for the fight against sexual exploitation. After several discussions and a meeting with the Plan Dominican Republic team, the IBCR initiated a partnership with the Dominican organisation just as it was training its team on issues surrounding the sexual exploitation of minors and corporate social responsibility. In September 2015, the IBCR also organised a three-day training session on these issues for employees from seven international and local organisations that are active in the area.

GOALS AND ACHIEVEMENTS: The training session offered by the IBCR and Plan Dominican Republic was an opportunity to address three major topics related to the sexual exploitation of children in the travel and tourism industry:

Key concepts, theoretical frameworks and national legislation with relation to children’s rights, sexual exploitation of children for commercial purposes, and sexual exploitation of children in the travel and tourism industry

Corporate social responsibility with regard to sex tourism involving children Namely, the workshop facilitated an in-depth discussion on the Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children Against Sexual Exploitation, which was signed by several companies worldwide working in the travel industry Discussions also highlighted the benefits of this international initiative and the challenges that remain in order to better protect children in the Dominican Republic against sexual exploitation

Representation and advocacy activities designed to establish a common strategy between stakeholders and Dominican civil society by agreeing, among others, on the goals of the campaign, decision-makers to contact and the content of the messages to be conveyed

Furthermore, the three-day workshop made it possible to strengthen the links between the various participating organisations through peer learning techniques and group exercises Since then, the IBCR has maintained its communications with Plan in order to implement this strategy and consider the provision of technical support throughout the implementation of Plan’s multiyear projects