As a two-day regional workshop on child sex tourism drew to a close in Bangkok Wednesday, children’s rights workers in Cambodia said the country‘s tourism industry must play a proactive role in fighting the sexual exploitation of children.
Hotel owners and tour operators in Cambodia are key players in the fight to stop child sex tourism, said Laurence Gray, program manager at World Vision.
He said hotels have a “corporate responsibility” to adopt rules and practices plainly stating that sex tourism will not be tolerated.
“If hotels have no stand on their practices, then their obligation to the children in this country [must be questioned],” Gray said.
Similarly, tour operators can identify hotels and other tourist venues that have adopted codes of ethics regarding child exploitation and cease dealing with establishments that refuse to comply with such codes.
Around one-third of Cambodia’s tourists come on package-deal holidays, Gray said, noting this gives tour operators strong leverage over the hotels where they stay.
Along with Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism, World Vision co-authored a report on child-sex tourism in Cambodia presented at the two-day workshop in Bangkok.
Yim Po, director of the Cambodian Center for the Protection of Children’s Rights, said Wednesday around 70 percent of Phnom Penh’s hotels tolerate sex tourism, which includes children.
Moeung Sonn, president of the National Association of Tourism Enterprises, which represents around 25 hotels, restaurants and travel agents, said Wednesday a firm policy is needed by the government on what type of tourism it wants to promote.
“It is the quality of tourism, not the quantity of tourism, that will help Cambodia develop,” said Moeung Sonn, explaining tourism has increased each year.
Cambodia’s growing reputation as a center of sex tourism also could be damaging to the country’s reputation in the long term, Moeung Sonn said. “Eventually tourists will not support a country where they exploit children.”
