A/HRC/22/54
can overcome some of these challenges, but skilled, efficient and immediate investigation
of the case and support to the victim/witness are key. To this purpose, the Australian
Federal Police is developing a child witness support programme, which will include a
dedicated liaison officer focusing on the welfare of the witness. This process will ensure
that child witnesses are adequately supported and that there is a degree of separation
between the investigative and prosecution processes. 41
66.
The consequences of CST on children are not just severe on their health and wellbeing but also on their future prospects. They are often stigmatized by their communities,
not given the support they need and often struggle to access education and job
opportunities. Family and community mediation is therefore a critical element in the
reintegration of child victims of CST. The follow-up of children until their full recovery
and proper compensation is still generally very weak in all countries.
4.
Prevention, awareness-raising and training
67.
Throughout the world, preventive actions have been undertaken at local, national,
regional and international level. Examples include World Vision’s Child Sex Tourism
Prevention Project and the ECPAT Offenders Beware project.
68.
The Child Sex Tourism Prevention Project, launched in 2004, included an
awareness-raising campaign in the United States and in some of the most significant
countries of destination for United States citizens (Cambodia, Thailand, Costa Rica,
Mexico and Brazil). High-visibility publicity materials were strategically placed. The
broadcaster CNN aired anti-child sex messages in 39 of the most frequented airports in the
United States and for over 20 months in-flight videos on this topic were shown on United
Airlines flights to Asia and Latin America. World Vision also led a number of workshops
to combat child sex tourism in Cambodia, Thailand and Costa Rica. Other efforts
implemented included working with Yahoo and MSN to place banners and pop-up ads on
the Internet, making it more difficult to access websites designed to promote children for
sex.
69.
In the framework of the 2011 Offenders Beware project five European ECPAT
groups and six southern partners joined forces and implemented a three-year project aimed
at increasing awareness and knowledge on sexual exploitation of children in tourism and
building up the capacity for preventive actions among tourism professionals, students,
security forces and governmental authorities. The project included the development of a
free e-learning course on child sex tourism, the production of a comprehensive brochure
and consultation and expert meeting reports. ECPAT also launched the campaign “Stop Sex
Tourism” in 2008 to raise awareness regarding sex tourism involving children and
encourage the public to report cases to the police.
70.
The Child Wise Tourism programme is Child Wise’s longest running overseas
programme operating across South-East Asia. The goal of the project is to support regional
Governments, tourism authorities and police to take the lead in establishing policy and
practices which prevent child sex tourism and other forms of child sexual exploitation. It
also aims to ensure a protective environment for children in tourism destinations, which
assists in preventing child sex tourism. Over the last 12 years, Child Wise has implemented
the programme in Thailand, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Cambodia, Viet Nam,
Myanmar, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam and Indonesia. It has
fostered action through a country-specific approach that is grounded in unified regional
goals enabling regional level comparison, cooperation and collaboration. Stakeholders have
41
Contribution of Australia.
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