ECPAT International contributes critical knowledge and evidence to inform advocacy and action against the sexual exploitation of children. Explore our research below.
The case study, conducted with Defense for Children Palestine (DCIP) and SAWA Foundation in Palestine, provides critical support to boys affected by sexual violence across detention centres, displacement camps, and school communities.
Available in: English
ECPAT International, as part of the ECLAG coalition, has joined forces with DOT Europe to support the European Parliament’s position on the explicit criminalisation of AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) for personal use.
Together, we are urging the Council to uphold and adopt this critical position in the final text of the Recast Directive. The creation and possession of AI-generated CSAM, even without involving real children, fuels the demand for abusive material, normalises harmful behaviours, and contributes to the broader ecosystem of child sexual exploitation. Clear legislation is essential to close legal gaps and ensure that emerging technologies are not misused to facilitate harm against children.
In this study, ECPAT International and its partners explored the issue of technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation and sexual abuse through research aimed at documenting local knowledge and understanding of the issue in four West African countries, assessing practices and identifying localised responses. The results of this research were consolidated in four specific situational analyses.
Available in: English, French
In January 2025, ECPAT International and Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights organised a national workshop in Erbil, Iraq, to discuss the findings of a joint case study on child sexual exploitation in humanitarian contexts and propose survivor-centred responses. The study highlighted the stigma faced by survivors, the growing risks of child sexual exploitation in Iraq due to previous and ongoing crises, and the need for evidence-based advocacy to influence national and international actors.
Available in: English
While the travel and tourism industry’s role in child protection is well recognised, less attention has been given globally to the informal sector. As a result, limited information exists on how the informal sector can help prevent or reduce the risk of child sexual exploitation. This analysis explores the risks children face in the informal tourism sector, how it can be misused by those who sexually exploit children, and documents existing practices to engage the informal sector in child protection. It also examines the role of the sharing economy in preventing child sexual exploitation.
Available in: English, Portuguese, Spanish
The purpose of this framework is to contribute to improved child protection outcomes in travel and tourism, as the result of providing tourism educational professionals with a set of core competencies that can be used as a guidance when developing curricula, modules and training.
This core competencies framework for tourism education professionals to integrate child protection into training curricula is based on identified knowledge, skills and attitudes that have been agreed as essential elements to effectively protect children and youth in the travel and tourism context.
Available in: English