Lesson 1: Why do child rights matter for business?

Every child has rights — no matter where they grow up

By definition a child is a person who is under 18 years of age, except if the national law of the concerned country states otherwise. The rights are set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was ratified by almost all countries in the world after it came into force on 20 November 1989. 

Convention on the Rights of the Child 

The convention on the Rights of the Child is an international treaty that recognises the human rights of children. The worldwide Basic Law for Children has improved many things.  For example, child mortality has fallen significantly in recent decades, more children than ever go to school and awareness of children’s rights is growing. 

In the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, strengthening the rights of children is a top priority. Children’s needs are to be taken seriously and they must have a voice in social life, just like adults. In short every child has the right to:

• Life
• Health care
• Education
• Protection from violence and exploitation

Why should companies take action to advance child rights?

Children are among the most vulnerable members of society and businesses can impact them in many ways. Child labour is probably the most evident  example, but businesses’ influence extends well beyond that. It can include, for example, the impact of a company’s products and services, its marketing activities and its investments in the communities where it operates.

Children are key stakeholders for business — as consumers, family members of employees and as potential future employees. 

Business impact on children’s lives

Businesses impact the lives of children in a variety of direct and indirect ways. 

Children are:  

Consumers

Children are consumers of products and services.

Dependents

They are dependents of workers.

Young workers

They might be young workers themselves.

Members of the communities

They are members of the communities in which businesses operate and are therefore coming into contact with the private sector.

Reasons for businesses to respect children’s rights

If the factors above are not enough reason why businesses should respect child rights — here are a few more:

• Reducing risks for children in the value chain improves the risk management of a company
• You can attract well-motivated workforce through family-friendly policies
• Companies can protect their reputation
• Doing good business secures the social license to operate
• And of course, you can create a market and value for children and future customers

Children’s rights are a moral obligation and should be a basic for every company that cares about values and ethics

Lesson 2: Spotlight on child labor

The definition of child labour is underscored by the two ILO Conventions 138 and 182. According to the articles of the conventions, child labour is defined as a subset of working children. It includes all children in the age cohort 5-11 years who are working; all children between the ages of 12-14 years, who are performing work not considered as light work and working more than 14 hours a week; and all those in the 15-17 years group whose work may be deemed hazardous

ILO, 2017 Global Estimates of Modern Slavery and Child Labour, p. 2.

Notice that with nearly 20% in Africa,  almost one in five children are involved in some form of child labour. In absolute terms, 72.1 million African children are estimated to be in child labour, including tourism. A further 31.5 million are in hazardous work.

You might think that these figures do not relate to your business. Perhaps not directly, but quite often indirectly.

Just think about your suppliers. Restaurants, hotels, transport, souvenir shops and other tourism related businesses — the hospitality industry is very complex. Children are often employed as baggage carriers, helpers with recreational activities, tourist site and vehicle park attendants, sellers of souvenirs and so on.

Why do children work?

There are many reasons why they work in the tourism industry:

• They need to earn money for their families
• It is easy to earn money quickly
• They are pressured by their parents
• Their friends and colleagues already work there
• They want to mingle with foreign tourists

It is a complex problem with no easy solution. It needs to be addressed at international and national level, and also in every business, including yours.

Risks for Children in Tourism

Lesson 1: Preventing child labour in tourism

Child protection is everyone’s business. And this goes far beyond the hiring of child labourers. It also has indirectly to do with giving children’s parents fair working conditions and hours so that they have enough time and resources not to send their children to work and let them get access to education. 

See for yourself.

Case Scenario

We are all born into this world as equals, but our parents live in a world within equality. 

While some of us are fetching balls, others are fetching water.
While some of us get to go to school, others stay home or have to work for money to support our family and look after our brothers and sisters.

Equal pay and family friendly working hours, support parents and children.

Some parents pressure us to go to work, while others open up ideas for our futures.

Some of us have to work on the streets while others can try out jobs in good conditions. 

You can fall into the wrong environment sometimes. Your work helps your family today, while others are learning for their future careers.

Jobs are hard to get without education. Employers will choose the most qualified so you can miss out while others succeed. 

You can see young kids selling on the street just like you. Is it possible to break the cycle? It takes courage to confront your fears and face your doubts. But it can make us more equal.

Now that we are mothers ourselves, we will send them to school, not out to work, and the future will be brighter for everyone.

Like the little girl in the film who sold bracelets to tourists, 13-19 million children are working. They are working in an occupation tied to tourism — from selling goods on beaches to carrying the luggage of holidaymakers at transportation hubs or working as waiters in local restaurants.

Despite the domination of multinational companies in the tourism sector, the tourism labour market is characterised by jobs in small businesses, often family-run. The majority of the tourism workforce works for a medium-size or small tourism business. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) estimates this figure is as high as 80%. A lot of these jobs are in the informal sector and employment conditions vary greatly.

Is hiring a child living nearby to deliver food in the neighbourhood considered child labour?

• Yes
• No
• Not sure

It is important to differentiate between legitimate child work and unacceptable child labour.

Legitimate Child Work:

Legitimate child work could be, for example, supporting a family business  in a way that does not affect the health and personal development or interfere with schooling.

Unacceptable Child Labour:

Unacceptable child labour deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, affects their schooling and harms their physical and mental development.

The worst form of child labour is usually linked to the tourism supply chain — e.g. in the agriculture or construction sector. Examples include:

• Children working in agriculture that supplies hotels and restaurants with food
• Child labour in construction of hotels
• Children producing souvenirs for tourists

The further away from the actual tourist areas and their companies, in terms of place in the value chain as well as geographically speaking, more children are involved and conditions become more hazardous and unacceptable. 

To think about…

So, think of the following scenario:

Sara is travelling independently and she finds a nice local restaurant. She sits down and checks the menu. It seems to be a family run business — the grandmother is in the kitchen and the wife is serving food and drinks. When she is ready to order, a young girl appears — she is around 12 years old — and asks Sara what she would like for lunch. 

Lesson 2: Children in the tourism value chain

On her journey, Sara meets children who sell postcards. Should she buy the postcards from the children?

• Yes, to support them
• Yes, because she would support their families
• No, because it is not the right thing to do

1. Accommodation: Children carry out various forms of work in hotels, mostly behind the scenes. For example, in laundries, gardening, luggage carrying/helping porters – not necessarily in large international 5-star hotels but in smaller, family-run businesses.

2. Restaurants

Child labour in gastronomic services is very common in many tourist destinations. Numerous children and young people work in family-owned restaurants or earn money informally in restaurants, cafes, tea shops, beach shacks, etc. as waiters, kitchen helpers, dishwashers or cleaners.

3. Nightlife

Children working in bars and nightclubs are often victims of human trafficking. They are exposed to abuse and harassment by customers and staff members.

The risks are manyfold – both direct and indirect. Parents are not able to look after their children because of work, children are misused as a tourist attraction in orphanages or, worst of all, sexual exploitation of children. 

4. Tours and Excursions

Risks for children related to tours and excursions are twofold. Children may either be viewed as a tourist attraction (e.g. when tourists visit schools or orphanages) or they may work in excursions as guides or helpers.

5. Transportation

Numerous children and young people work as informal helpers for transportation companies or family businesses.

6. Shopping and Souvenirs

In many countries, children are forced to work in souvenir production.  For example, in factories, making craftwork, diving for shells and pearls or mining precious stones. Children are also often employed as souvenir sellers.

What can we do to put a stop to this?

In accommodation and restaurants

• Choose hotels with sustainability certifications when looking for cooperation partners
• Check whether the hotel has a child protection or human rights policy.
• Train management and employees on child rights and related issues.

During excursions

• Do not visit orphanages or any other excursions that ‘showcase’ children with your guests. 
• Ask customers and travellers not to give gifts and money to begging children.
• Remind your guests to be sensitive when taking pictures with children. Make sure they ask for permission.

Shopping and souvenirs

• Advise your guests not to buy souvenirs from children.
• Guests can ask where the souvenirs are coming from and how they have been produced.
• Guests should check for product labels when possible.

Nightlife

• Never ever exploit children — it is a crime.
• Advise your guests not to buy souvenirs from children in bars (e.g. rose sellers).
• Your guests should not play billiards with children or any other activity in bars and restaurants.

Children as tourist attractions

With the aim of offering their customers special insights into the local day-to-day life and culture in travel destinations, some tour operators offer visits to schools, orphanages or slums. But children are not tourist attractions.

School visits

School visits have negative impacts on children. They may harm children’s educational development and interfere with their school routine. Furthermore, such visits may violate the children’s right to privacy, and the increased contact with strangers makes them more vulnerable to harassment and abuse.

Tourism businesses should therefore refrain from offering such trips and inform their customers on how to deal with children in the destinations they visit.

Lesson 3: Working parents in tourism — effects on child care

Negative impact on children

These circumstances can have a negative impact on children:

• Parents on rotating schedules
• Parents working irregular working hours
• Parents with long working hours and night shifts
• Parents working abroad, in other regions of the country or on cruise ships

The long and irregular working hours in tourism can have a huge effect on child care. Women make up the majority of the tourism workforce — yet they tend to be the lowest paid, in the lowest status jobs and often with inadequate maternity protection. 

Children, whose parents work long and irregular hours and cannot afford child care, may have to look after themselves and/or their siblings, leaving them  vulnerable to injury, neglect and abuse. 

What can businesses do?

Businesses can help create safe environments for the children of their employees by helping to subsidise the cost of day-care, providing a company crèche for staff or increasing investments in local youth and sports clubs.

A more flexible approach to working hours for young mothers would also address this. For example, companies could offer flexible part-time and regular working hours so families can plan ahead.

Businesses could also support a ‘best start in life’ for children by offering a place to breastfeed and/or express milk. No business is better-suited than a hotel to providing a room for employees to breastfeed.

What could YOUR business do?

• Offer part time work
• Reduce night shifts for mothers
• Options for regular working hours 
• Offer childcare near the workplace
• Allow breastfeeding/expressing milk in workplace
• Offer and/or subsidise child care
• Allow flexible work hours

Lesson 4: Volunteering and volunteerism

Many volunteers across the globe look for projects where they can work with children and the demand for project visits and short-term volunteering has increased over the years.  BUT these projects hold many risks for children.

Projects in which volunteers directly work with children in schools, play schools or youth clubs are the most popular form of voluntourism. The work is varied and does not necessarily require much pedagogical qualification. The children may be happy about new ideas for games or about native speakers teaching them foreign languages. However, projects with children require special caution in their preparation and implementation. 

A basic rule is: the longer the volunteers stay and the better their experiences match the needs of the organisation, the more meaningful the projects become.

Considerations

What should you consider when offering volunteering opportunities?

Volunteers should not teach courses on their own

Organisations should make sure that the volunteers do not teach courses on their own and that they teach according to the level of the children.

Introduce a child protection policy

Introduce a child protection policy in your business and develop a child protection management system.

Develop selection criteria for volunteers

Develop selection criteria for volunteers (including background checks). Establish standards such as letters of motivation, CVs and police clearance certificates.

Develop a code of conduct for volunteers

This should include rules on how to deal with children, procedures on how to report anything that goes against the well-being of the children as well as information on how to handle photos of and with children.

Encourage local project partners

Encourage your local project partners to develop and implement similar tools.

Volunteers themselves can contribute to the positive impact of their stay by realistically assessing their own skills, strengths and expectations. Regardless of whether it is a long-term volunteer placement, a short-term volunteerism trip or a responsible journey, the people in developing countries and their interests are always top priority. Using this as a guideline provides for unique experiences which will have impacts long after the trip is over. 

Sexual Exploitation of Children in Travel and Tourism

Lesson 1: Sexual exploitation

Children are at risk in all areas of tourism — in places like hotels, tourist attractions, restaurants, bars, massage parlours and even on the streets. Offenders take advantage of poverty, social exclusion and the vulnerability of children. 

Sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism (SECTT)

The sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism (SECTT) encompasses a broad spectrum including prostitution and pornography, often for the production of online child abuse material.  It includes the sale and trafficking of children in all forms, as well as various travel products that put children at risk of exploitation such as voluntourism, orphanage tourism and mega sporting events.

Where does it happen?

The sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism is not limited to developing countries or countries with few resources. It is found everywhere, even in the world’s richest countries, as demonstrated by research in North America and Europe. 

Who are the victims?

There is no typical child victim — all children are vulnerable. But some children are more at risk than others, e.g. children of dysfunctional families, children living in poverty, orphans, members of minorities and children living and working on the streets.

Child survivors of exploitation can carry with them the trauma of having suffered extreme physical and sexual abuse. That trauma has a negative impact on the child’s physical, mental and emotional health. 

Physical risks include poor health, unwanted pregnancies for girls and a greater likelihood of HIV infection among both male and female victims.

Who are the offenders?

Potential sex offenders:

• Business travellers
• Humanitarian aid workers
• Expatriates working in the country
• Members of a peace mission
• Retirees
• Volunteers

There is no such thing as a typical child sex offender. There is a misconception that all tourists who sexually exploit children are pedophiles. In reality, the majority of offending tourists are what is known as ‘situational offenders’.

The majority of offenders are domestic travellers. However, as often reported in the media, there are also many international travellers. Some international travellers visit countries for the specific purpose of engaging in sexual exploitation of children. 

Most offenders are more opportunistic and are known as ‘situational offenders’. They abuse children as a means of experimentation. They do this because they feel protected by the sense of anonymity and impunity that comes with being a tourist.

What can you do?

• Join local campaigns run by NGOs such as ChildSafe, ECPAT and Friends-International, to raise awareness.
• Inform ALL customers about the problem and ask them to not look away.
• If you suspect a case of sexual exploitation of children, don’t turn a blind eye, report it.
• Inform your business partners and raise awareness among your employees so that you can do all of the above.

Lesson 3: What Can the Tourism Industry Do?

Fighting the sexual exploitation of children goes hand in hand with running an ethical and responsible tourism company. As the representatives of future generations, children are valuable members of our society. It is everyone’s responsibility to protect children and keep them safe. Child protection is an important pillar of corporate social responsibility and responsible tourism.

What can YOU do to protect children?

The Code was created as a practical tool for the tourism industry to use as part of their responsible tourism or CSR policies. By implementing the six criteria of The Code, members are making a strong commitment to preventing sexual exploitation of children.

 

The Code: Six essential steps to keep children safe

When companies join The Code they commit to six essential steps to keep children safe. These are called the six criteria.

Criteria 1: Establish policy and procedures

Establish a policy that clearly states zero tolerance when it comes to sexual exploitation of children and communicate it actively to your suppliers.

Criteria 2: Train employees

Make sure your employees know how they should react and that they should report suspicious cases. Raise their awareness regarding SECTT.

Criteria 3: Include a clause in contracts

Integrate a zero tolerance clause in supplier contracts which will allow you to terminate contracts immediately if a case happens within the supply chain.

Criteria 4: Provide information to travellers

Make sure that travellers are aware of the issue and know how to report suspicious cases. Tell them that it is a crime and that they should not turn a blind eye if they see suspicious behaviour.

Criteria 5: Support, collaborate and engage stakeholders

Work with your peers, associations, government, police and civil society to increase your leverage. This is a topic that concerns the whole tourism industry.

Criteria 6: Report annually

It is also important that suspicious cases are reported to the police, to the embassies or via portals such as https://dontlookaway.report/

Child Safe Tourism

Lesson 1: Commit to child-safe tourism

So — what can you do to ensure that children are protected in travel and tourism? To ensure that they are not exploited but can go to school, play with friends and have fun?

Developing a child welfare code of conduct 

As a first step, you should consider developing a child welfare code of conduct which outlines the basic principles to ensure child-safe tourism. Make sure that it is communicated to all relevant stakeholders — especially employees, suppliers and partners. It can also be presented and promoted to clients. 

The policy should outline travellers’ behavior towards children. Share this using current communication channels, such as flyers, short brochures, social media or websites

Identify and manage risks to children

Procedures:

• Take specific measures to ensure child welfare in Homestay products.
• Establish a procedure when designing new products and services to identify potential risks to children in communities.
• Integrate child welfare components into staff training systems.
• Establish procedures for responding to suspicious cases and disclosures of abuse.

Business Partners:

• Ensure that communication and marketing respects the rights of children.
• Convince your business partners and suppliers to implement child welfare guidelines. Ask all suppliers to sign a code of conduct.

Guests:

• Avoid visits to orphanages and other child centres, including schools.
• Inform travellers about the correct ways of interacting with children in communities and when confronted with children begging or selling goods/services.

Lesson 2: Prevent child labour

As we have seen, the risks to children are many and child labour can occur along the whole tourism value chain. So how can the various actors prevent child labour in the sector? 

What can you do?

You can join the global movement for child welfare in the travel industry and adopt their seven guidelines:

Guideline 1: Make sure a Child Welfare Code of Conduct is agreed upon by all company representatives.

Guideline 2: Make sure a Child Welfare Code of Conduct is presented and promoted to all clients.

Guideline 3: Make sure child welfare is integrated into your hiring process.

Guideline 4: Do not accept child labour. Provide decent working conditions for all personnel so they can look after their children.

Guideline 5: Provide working conditions that allow workers, both women and men, to fulfill their roles as parents and/or caregivers.

Guideline 6: Provide internships and training programs to local youth, potentially leading to career opportunities.

Guideline 7: Integrate child welfare components into staff training.

As a Tour Operator or Business in the sector, you should not accept child labour. You should provide decent working conditions for all personnel so they can look after their own children.

• Ensure that no children below the minimum age, as defined by national law and international conventions, are engaged to work.
• Ensure that young workers above the minimum working age are protected.
• Provide working conditions that allow workers, both women and men, to fulfill their roles as parents and/or caregivers.
• Provide internships and training programs to local youth, potentially leading to career options.

Lesson 3: Educate travellers and promote responsible behaviour

Travellers play an important role in protecting children. But they need to receive relevant information about what they can and cannot do.

It is very important that they know the correct ways of interacting with children, especially when confronted with children begging or selling goods and services.  Inform travellers about appropriate and inappropriate interactions with children — for example, avoiding taking photographs with and/or of children, spending time alone with a child and physical contact. 

Advice and tips for travelers should include practical information:

Front of card

Why is it harmful to give money, candy or gifts to children that you do not know?

When you give money, food or gifts to begging children or buy anything from them, you encourage them to continue begging.

Where to do research if one is interested in voluntourism or other community based forms of tourism?

Talk to local NGOs and organisations. Avoid working with children and share your professional skills with local staff.

What are the legal consequences of having a sexual relationship with a minor — whether online or in person?

Legal consequences can be extreme in some countries. Cambodia, Thailand or Vietnam foresee life sentences for this crime. Offenders are also brought to court in their home countries.

Where can you report suspicions or direct disclosures of child abuse and exploitation?

There are various options including police, embassies or on https://dontlookaway.report(opens in a new tab)

Informing travellers about the dos and don’ts when travelling is a key element in developing child-safe tourism. Tourists often have good intentions, but their actions can have negative impacts on children. Knowing what you can and cannot do is extremely important. 

Lesson 4: Make sure your products are child-safe

We know that there are many potential risks to children. All stakeholders in the sector can take measures to protect the weakest in our society. 

Businesses play a key role in protecting children. By being a supportive business and demonstrating a commitment to child protection, they can help build a positive, strong community environment that includes all the important elements for children.

How businesses operate and how they develop their products can significantly impact the well-being of children. It is important to have measures in place to protect children along the customer journey. For example:

• Develop a child risk-assessment process when developing new products. 
• When designing new products and services, establish a procedure to identify potential risks to children.
• Inform travellers about the correct way to interact with children. 
• Establish mechanisms for communities and children that allow grievances or complaints against a tourist or a tourism activity.
• Promote good practice and train your staff.

Now that you have successfully completed this unit, you are capable of protecting the least powerful in society — children — and are skilled to develop child-safe tourism products.