ECPAT

ECPAT is a global network of civil-society organisations focused on ending the sexual exploitation of children. Its work addresses several interconnected forms of abuse, including the trafficking of children for sexual purposes, the sexual exploitation of children in prostitution, online child sexual exploitation, child, early and forced marriage, and exploitation connected with travel and tourism. Rather than operating as a commercial company, ECPAT functions as an international advocacy, research, coordination and capacity-building network. The organisation began in 1990 as a time-limited campaign whose name stood for End Child Prostitution in Asian Tourism. Its initial focus was the growth of sex tourism in Asia and the need for coordinated action by governments, civil-society groups and international institutions. As the terminology and policy framework of the sector changed, the organisation retained the acronym ECPAT while broadening its mandate beyond tourism and beyond Asia. The network's development was accelerated by the 1996 World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Stockholm, which ECPAT co-organised with UNICEF and the NGO Group for the Rights of the Child, now Child Rights Connect. ECPAT International's secretariat is based in Bangkok and provides technical assistance to member organisations, coordinates international advocacy, produces research and supports monitoring of governments' obligations under international child-rights instruments. The network is composed of independent NGOs, grassroots organisations and NGO coalitions. Reference materials describe a network extending across more than 100 countries, although published counts vary by date and source. A major institutional offering is The Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism. Developed in 1996 by ECPAT Sweden with the World Tourism Organization and Swedish tourism businesses, The Code gives participating companies a voluntary framework for child-protection policies, employee training, contractual safeguards, traveller information, local stakeholder cooperation and annual reporting. It has been adopted by hundreds of tourism-related businesses and is promoted internationally through ECPAT's network. ECPAT also works on online safety and technology policy. It collaborates with law-enforcement and child-protection bodies, including INTERPOL, participates in international technology and child-online-protection initiatives, and supports legal and regulatory measures intended to prevent the production, distribution and commercial exploitation of child sexual abuse material. Its research includes country monitoring reports, regional studies and thematic work on online exploitation, trafficking and tourism-related abuse. The organisation has received human-rights and humanitarian recognition, including the 1998 Thorolf Rafto Memorial Prize, the 2012 Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award, recognition associated with its child-trafficking campaign, the 2013 Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize and the 2017 INTERPOL Crimes Against Children Award. ECPAT-USA, a member organisation in the wider network, has also been involved in United States policy debates, including advocacy around SESTA/FOSTA. Critics have challenged both the effects of that legislation on sex workers and ECPAT-USA's use of an estimate concerning the number of commercially sexually exploited children in the United States; the organisation later agreed to stop using the disputed figure.

ECPAT was established in 1990 as a three-year campaign responding to the sexual exploitation of children connected with tourism in Asia. The original name, End Child Prostitution in Asian Tourism, reflected the campaign's regional focus and the terminology commonly used by advocates at the time. Anti-Slavery International was among its early supporters and helped establish a United Kingdom branch. As international child-rights policy developed, the language of the field shifted away from expressions such as child prostitution and sex tourism. ECPAT retained its acronym while expanding its mission to cover a wider range of sexual exploitation and trafficking risks. A decisive turning point came in 1996, when ECPAT worked with UNICEF and the NGO Group for the Rights of the Child to co-organise the first World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Stockholm. The Swedish government hosted the event and helped secure broad participation from governments and other institutions. The congress gave ECPAT a platform for international coordination and contributed to its transition from an Asian campaign into a global NGO network. The same period produced one of ECPAT's best-known practical initiatives. ECPAT Sweden developed a voluntary tourism-industry code in cooperation with the World Tourism Organization and Swedish tour operators. Known as The Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism, it asks participating businesses to adopt child-protection procedures, train staff, include safeguards in contracts, inform travellers, cooperate with local stakeholders and report on implementation. The initiative was subsequently hosted by ECPAT International in Bangkok and promoted across the network. Its members have included hotel groups, airlines, tour operators and travel-management companies. During the 2000s and 2010s, ECPAT broadened its programme to include online sexual exploitation, trafficking for sexual purposes, exploitation in prostitution, child and forced marriage, and exploitation in travel and tourism. It developed country and regional reports, thematic research and monitoring submissions for United Nations processes. This work is intended to assess whether governments are implementing international commitments, including the Stockholm Agenda for Action and relevant child-rights treaties. ECPAT has also built relationships with law-enforcement and technology-policy institutions. Its partners and affiliations have included INTERPOL, the Virtual Global Taskforce, the European Financial Coalition against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Online, the International Telecommunication Union's Child Online Protection initiative, the International Association of Internet Hotlines, the Internet Watch Foundation and Child Helpline International. These relationships support advocacy, information-sharing and prevention work, although ECPAT remains primarily a civil-society network rather than a law-enforcement body. From 2009 to 2012, ECPAT and The Body Shop conducted the Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People campaign. The campaign mobilised public petitions and called on governments to strengthen protection against trafficking for sexual purposes. More than seven million signatures from 50 countries were presented to officials and to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The campaign was later recognised through awards for human-rights advocacy and NGO engagement. ECPAT's public profile has been reinforced by several awards, including the Thorolf Rafto Memorial Prize in 1998, the Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award in 2012, the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize in 2013 and the INTERPOL Crimes Against Children Award in 2017. At the same time, advocacy by ECPAT-USA around SESTA/FOSTA generated criticism. Commentators questioned whether the law harmed consensual sex workers and challenged a widely cited estimate of commercially sexually exploited children in the United States. The disputed estimate was linked to old data and an interpretation that critics considered unsupported; ECPAT-USA later agreed to discontinue use of the figure. These controversies concern a member organisation and its United States policy work, rather than evidence that the international network is a commercial brand or company.

• 2017

  INTERPOL Crimes Against Children Award

  [1]ECPATen.wikipedia.org

  ECPAT receives recognition from INTERPOL for its work concerning crimes against children.

• 2013

  Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize

  [1]ECPATen.wikipedia.org

  ECPAT receives the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize.

• 2009

  Stop Sex Trafficking campaign begins

  [1]ECPATen.wikipedia.org

  ECPAT and The Body Shop launch a global campaign against trafficking of children and young people for sexual purposes.

• 1996

  Stockholm World Congress

  [1]ECPATen.wikipedia.org

  ECPAT co-organises the first global congress against the commercial sexual exploitation of children with UNICEF and the NGO Group for the Rights of the Child.

• 1996

  The tourism child-protection code is developed

  [1]ECPATen.wikipedia.org

  ECPAT Sweden develops The Code with the World Tourism Organization and Swedish tourism companies.

• 1990

  ECPAT begins as an Asian campaign

  [1]ECPATen.wikipedia.org

  Researchers and activists establish a three-year campaign originally named End Child Prostitution in Asian Tourism.

An international child-rights advocacy and knowledge network combining grassroots civil-society action, research, government monitoring, business standards and public-policy campaigning.

• Business standard · 1996

  The Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism

  A voluntary framework for travel and tourism companies. Signatories commit to six core measures: establishing child-protection policies and procedures, training personnel, inserting protection clauses into business contracts, informing travellers, cooperating with local stakeholders and reporting annually on implementation. The initiative is designed to reduce the risk that tourism services are used to facilitate sexual exploitation.

• Research and advocacy

  Country and regional monitoring reports

  Reports assess laws, policies and government implementation relating to sexual exploitation of children. ECPAT uses these publications in advocacy with governments, NGOs, UN bodies and researchers, including follow-up work connected with international child-rights commitments.

• Research and policy

  Online child-protection research and resources

  ECPAT produces studies and practical resources on online sexual exploitation of children, working with child-rights, law-enforcement and technology-policy partners. The work covers prevention, legal reform, institutional responsibilities and international cooperation.

• 2018

  Criticism of ECPAT-USA's SESTA/FOSTA advocacy and data use

  ECPAT-USA was criticised for supporting SESTA/FOSTA and for citing an estimate of 100,000 commercially sexually exploited children in the United States that critics said relied on outdated and misinterpreted data. The organisation later agreed to stop using the disputed figure.

  Source

Read more

• 2009Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People

  Global

  A partnership between ECPAT and The Body Shop calling for stronger government action to protect children and adolescents from trafficking for sexual purposes.

  Outcome. The campaign collected more than seven million petition signatures in 50 countries and presented them to government officials and the UN Human Rights Council.

  Source

• 1996

  Expand from a regional campaign into a global networkStrategy

  Background

  The Stockholm World Congress created an opportunity to coordinate governments and civil-society organisations internationally.

  Action taken

  ECPAT broadened its geographic reach and mandate while retaining its established acronym.

  Aftermath

  The organisation developed into an international network with a Bangkok secretariat and member groups across numerous countries.

  Source

• 1996

  Launch of The Code tourism standardProduct launch

  Background

  Tourism businesses needed practical measures to prevent their services from being used in the sexual exploitation of children.

  Action taken

  ECPAT Sweden, the World Tourism Organization and Swedish tourism operators developed a voluntary code for participating companies.

  Aftermath

  The Code became an international programme hosted by ECPAT International and adopted by hundreds of tourism-related businesses.

  Source

1. 1ECPATen.wikipedia.org
2. 2ECPAT official websiteecpat.org