On March 2024, Danielle Ribeiro from Great.com hosted an insightful podcast episode featuring Guillaume Landry, Executive Director of ECPAT International, highlighting the history and mission of ECPAT International and our commitment to create a world free from child sexual exploitation.
Throughout the discussion, Guillaume shed light on the multifaceted nature of child sexual abuse and exploitation, unveiling its intricate layers of discrimination and different forms of manifestation. He emphasized the complexity of the phenomenon and reinforced that there is no one simple solution but a more holistic approach is needed:
“You need to have a recipe, not an ingredient… you really need different pieces to really move the needle further on the subject matter.”
Guillaume continued by saying that in recent years, it has become more and more evident that there are documents and roadmaps on how to protect children from exploitation, but they are not implemented.
“You can measure that you have achieved a legal reform, you can demonstrate that you have got a new plan of action (…) and we like that. But now, decades after, we see that a lot of those documents and agreements are not implemented”
As an organisation committed to children’s rights, ECPAT pushes for the actual implementation of agreements and strategies aimed at safeguarding children globally.
As Guillaume explains one should always be aware of the power dynamics, hidden consequences, and possible reactions of the child. Working with and for children on this critical issue requires a mind-set of zero harm tolerance:
“Even if you have good intentions, [you have to ask yourself] is my action going to worsen the situation for children? It’s not enough to think that what you do is good…”
A key point in the entire discussion came down to the role that adults play in ensuring children feel safe and protected when reporting risks or actual cases of sexual exploitation and abuse. Highlighting the critical importance of trust and support systems for children, emphasizing community and personal responsibility, Guillaume said:
“Having someone in their [children’s] circle of trust, or accessible to them, that they can trust, that will listen, that will believe them, and that will be there for them afterwards.”
Guillaume concludes by reminding us that each of us has the power (and the responsibility) to create a safer environment for children:
“We all have a role to play”
By challenging harmful social norms, combating discrimination in daily interactions, amplifying local organizations dedicated to fighting child sexual abuse, breaking taboos around the issue, supporting ECPAT and organizations working to eradicate child sexual abuse and exploitation, we can all create an environment where children can thrive.
ABOUT ECPAT INTERNATIONAL
ECPAT International stands as a united front of 126 civil society organisations spread across over 100 nations, each passionately committed to the shared vision of eradicating the sexual exploitation of children. Harnessing the power of over three decades of experience in multi-stakeholder engagement and partnership management, our expansive network operates on national, regional, and global levels. We relentlessly drive forward, fuelled by the conviction that every child deserves a world free from sexual exploitation.
ABOUT GREAT.COM
Great.com is an organization aimed at solving the world’s most dire problem — global climate change. Starting in New Jersey, their mission is to take money from an otherwise harmful and greedy industry (online casinos) and move it towards a positive and good cause (solving the climate crisis). In addition to directly donating 100% of the revenue they earn in the casino industry, they also launch and manage fundraising campaigns to persuade casino entrepreneurs to donate. So far, they’ve generated over $2 million to climate research through their own donations and proceeds from their fundraising initiatives.