Sustainable Tourism & Childhood When in Brazil do as the Brazilians do: Report the Sexual Exploitation of Children and Youth. Dial 100.

Combating the Sexual Exploitation in Tourism in Brazil

The government and the private sector have the legal and moral obligation to ensure that rights of children and youth be a part of the national agenda for tourism development. Otherwise, tourism won’t become a positive strength on children’s life, and offenders wont be punished.

Governmental and non-governmental organizations together represent a real task force against sexual exploitation of children and youth in Brazil’s Northeast.

The Children and Adolescents Protection Act (ECA) came into force in 1990, a specific and modern legislation that guides the public policies in this matter. Aiming the protection of children and youth rights, the Act defined children and youth as the center of care and attention of whole Brazilian society.

Some of ECA clauses are, explicitly, oriented to tourism industry, as the Article 70, which turn into an obligation of everyone to prevent any threat to children and youth rights. As well as Article 82, that forbids children and youth hostage in a hotel, motel, hostel or similar lodging facilities without their parents and/or legal tutor.

In 2003, Federal Secretary of Human Rights (Secretaria Especial dos Direitos Humanos da Presidência da República –SEDH) implemented the National Hotlink to report Children and Youth Sexual Exploitation, nationwide known National Report Hotlink # 100, so reinforcing the political commitment of stressing the combat against sexual exploitation of children in the Federal Government agenda.

Tourism Ministry, in a co-operation with Brasilia University (UNB), tourism sector traders and the civil society created the Sustainable Tourism & Childhood Program – TSI, a program aiming to fight against the sexual exploitation of children in the country, acting with all stakeholders of tourism industry to be aware.

Between those who are involved on protecting children and youth from sexual exploitation by a tourist, are: non-governmental organizations, local laws enforcement, tour operators, hotels, official authorities and institutions of tourism sector, taxi drivers, bus drivers and other professionals working in the industry. The TSI program stress that a common real taskforce against the sexual exploitation of children represents a strong and effective tool.

Many other programs and projects are spreading in the northeast to support and reinforce TSI actions, specially those acting together wit local networks of prevention and awareness.