Geneva - An organization representing 900 Swiss companies has signed an agreement to crack down on commercial child sex tourism, an official with the Swiss Federation of Travel Agencies said Monday. "We want our members to inform their clients and partners in different countries about the protection of children there," Sandra Gonzales with the SVR, the federation's German initials, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
The organization also called on tourists to report any illegal activities at their holiday destinations to the Swiss Federal Police, via an online form that was first made available over the summer.
Over 800 firms and associations in 31 countries had already signed the code before the Swiss federation joined in a little-publicized move in late October.
According to the International Labour Organization, some 1.8 million children are exploited in commercial sexual abuse each year. Some 800,000 minors are caught up in the practice in Thailand alone. In Brazil, half a million children are reportedly used by the sex tourism industry.
Residents of Western countries with tough laws banning sexual relations with children sometimes take advantage of poor countries with lax rules, traveling there with the specific intention of sexually exploiting children. Others only consider the idea once it is suggested by local operators at the holiday destination.
The agreement requires its members to protect children from abusive tourism, commit to work to stop the practice, take steps to train tourism workers about sexual exploitation and inform tourists about the problem.
The organization said it will hand out over 100,000 information pamphlets to travellers about the issue.
Possible sanctions against partners could include stopping work with hotels and other establishments that condone the sexual abuse of children. Individual Swiss firms have taken such steps in the past.
