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Project: Training of multidisciplinary teams in Jõhvi (OAK project)
Stop Sex Trafficking of Children & Young People Campaign
Human trafficking is the third largest and fastest growing criminal activity in the world. It is estimated that approximately 1.2 million children are trafficked domestically or across borders each year. In order to end this serious crime and abuse of children and young people, ECPAT and The Body Shop have formed a partnership to create and implement the global “STOP Sex Trafficking of Children & Young People Campaign.” For more information or to join the campaign, click: http://ecpat.net/TBS/en/about_campaign.html
Raising Awareness, Capacity and Motivation for the Protection of Children from Commercial Sexual Exploitation in Tourism'
Five European ECPAT groups and six south partners have joint forces and implementing a three-years project aiming at increasing awareness and knowledge on sexual exploitation of children in tourism and building up the capacity for preventive actions among tourism professionals, students as well as other relevant stakeholders such as law enforcement and governmental authorities. The project 'Offenders Beware - Raising Awareness, Capacity and Motivation for the Protection of Children from Commercial Sexual Exploitation in Tourism' is supported by European Commission and several national partners
Objectives
The
overall objective of the project is to contribute to the protection of
minors from Commercial Sexual exploitation in travel and Tourism. More
specifically, the project aims to make it more difficult for European
perpetrators to abuse minors in developing countries and put pressure on
them to refrain from this severe human rights perpetration
The specific objective of the project is to increase the awareness, capacity and motivation to take action for the protection of minors from commercial sexual exploitation of children in tourism among European actors involved in tourism from the public and private sectors, media and individuals
Activities
1. Addressing tourism professionals and students through awareness raising
measures (including producing materials) for tourism professionals and
tourism students in the EU partner countries including an e-learning-course
2. Addressing key persons and multipliers in private and public sectors
through advocacy and sensitization activities as well as European and
national parliamentarians and other EU/national key decision-makers and
politicians; organizing joint expert meetings with the tourism industry, law
enforcement, governmental authorities, NGOs and with South partners
3. Information of public and media on child sex tourism through press work,
tourism fairs, documentation and publications
4. Train-the-trainer (ToT) seminars and development of training manual and
standards for awareness raising measures in the EU partners' countries
Newsletters
March 2009
December 2009
March 2010
August 2010
International
expert meeting 2010
In the expert meeting on 7th to 9th of March 2010 in Berlin the role of
different stakeholders in tourism destinations and countries of origin of
sex offenders were discussed in relation to the improvement of reporting
procedures. It focused on existing reporting procedures for child sex
tourism cases in different countries and how the number of reports can be
improved. This meeting brought together over fifty international experts on
combating child sex tourism from the tourism sector, law enforcement and
NGOs. Over twenty different countries were represented at the meeting.
What
experts think on combating child sex tourism
ECPAT interviewed 31 experts from tour operators, hotels, airline companies,
NGO's, tourism schools and governmental organizations in five countries to
gather opinions on how to improve signing, implementation, monitoring and
communication of the Code of Conduct. Read the report:
http://www.defenceforchildren.nl/images/13/875.pdf
E-learning tool: www.childprotection-tourism.org
The Code
of Conduct as a tool to combat child sex tourism
The Code
International (Giorgio Berardi, ECPAT International)
The Code in
local destination Costa Rica (Milena Grillo, Paniamor)
The Code in
local destination: Russia (Olga Kolpakova, Stellit)
The Code in
local destination: Dominican Republic (Luiz Mendez, MAIS)
What experts
think on the Code of Conduct (Celine Verheijen, ECPAT-NL)
India (Rosemary
Visnawath, Equations)
Project
“Big Brother, Big Sister”
Background: program “Big Brother, Big Sister”
was started in USA. In Estonia this program was initiated in 1997 in the
rooms of Tartu Child Support Center. In 1998 Estonian based program and
in 1999 Russian based program were started in Tallinn. The similar program
was started in Pärnu in 2001. In 2002 NGO Big Bother Big Sister Estonian
Association was started, uniting all BBBS centers, and belonging to the
international movement Big Brothers, Big Sisters International. Since
2003 BBBS program operates also in Rakvere, Viljandi, Kuressaare and Narva.
Objective: to establish friendship between two individuals – a child and a grown-up volunteer.
Sub-goals:
To promote higher self-esteem of young brothers and sisters and help to
establish a positive worldview, that would help them to overcome the difficulties
they might face in life.
To spread and value the principle of voluntariness in Estonia.
Young
sisters-brothers
This movement is for a child
- Who needs a good and trustworthy friend
- Who suffers from school difficulties or behavioural problems
- Who feels oneself lonely, neglected or repelled
- Whose family has encountered crises as a result of divorce, disease or some other problems
Big
brothers-sisters
A support person might be anybody who is at least 18 years old, and is
willing to take care and provide help as well as act as a friend for one
small friend for at least one year of time. Currently the majority of
support persons are the university students.
While deciding to join this program the would-be support person has to participate in a special training and later monthly in supervision sessions
A written contract will be concluded between the child, the support person and the parent or caregiver of the child, that might be renewed after the first year.
The matched pair will meet weekly for 2-3 hours to spend time together. These pairs of friends have enjoyed roller-skating, been in café, visited different exhibitions, went in for swimming, and taken part in various events, like Christmas Show, excursions, adventurous camps, etc.
Currently there are 25 active pairs.
This project
is financed by the Tartu local government and Ministry of Social Affairs
Project “For Better
Future”
Background: Relying both on our own experiences and on
international studies one could say that it is more reasonable and cheaper
to put energy into prevention than to deal with the outcomes. Abuse prevention
should be started before the birth of the child, to teach parenting skills.
Objective:
prevention of abuse by raising parenting skills.
Target group:
- Expecting mothers
- Medical practitioners
- Mothers and babies
- Sexually abused teenagers
Activities:
Lectures for specialists and for pregnant.
Group work, individual counselling and treatment for target group.
Project is
financed by Women’s World Day of Prayer German Committee, and East-
and Central-European Foundations Alliance of Holland, World Childhood
Foundation.
Foreign
project “Child Abuse and Treatment” (Belarus);
Training program for the child specialists of St. Petersburg and Pskov
Background: Training projects in Russia have become feasible
due to The East Europe Committee of the Swedish Health Care Community
Objective:
to increase the knowledge and skills of specialists in recognising an
abused child, in helping the abused children and their family members,
and in abuse prevention.
Target
group:
The social workers, legal practitioners, medical practitioners and university
students of St.Petersburg and Pskov.
Activities:
3-cyclic (each for 3 days) training seminars for the target group.
This project is financed by the East Europe Committee of the Swedish Healthcare Community.
