The Code announced the recognition of 7 companies as Top Members for their outstanding efforts in implementing child protection measures through their operations.
The Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism (The Code) is a multi-stakeholder initiative with the mission to provide awareness, tools and support to the tourism industry to prevent the sexual exploitation of children.
These Top Members have demonstrated comprehensive implementation of the 6 criteria of The Code, working with their teams, customers, suppliers and networks to promote awareness of the risks and warning signs of sexual exploitation, and implementing measures to respond and report, should such a situation occur.
They are at the proactive forefront of the travel and tourism industry’s efforts to eradicate the crime of sexual exploitation of children, and set a great example for others in the industry to aspire to.
The new Top Members for 2020 are:
Atelier de Hoteles (Mexico)
Atlas Travel & Technology Group (USA)
BCD Travel (USA)
Hotelplan Suisse (Switzerland)
Marriott International, Inc. (USA)
Mascontour GmbH (Germany)
Sonesta International Hotel Company (USA)
The full list of Code Top Members can be found at www.thecode.org/who-have-signed/top-members
The announcement of this year’s new Top Members comes during a particularly challenging year for the travel and tourism industry, which has faced dramatic declines in activity and revenue around the world as countries respond to the COVID-19 crisis. The announcement follows a Call for Action launched by ECPAT International and its partners, highlighting the importance of action from intergovernmental bodies, governments and the private sector to consider child protection as a key element for sustainable and responsible development.
The Code would like to particularly recognize all member companies that together with the Local Code
Representatives (LCRs) continue to maintain child protection as a key area of focus now, and as travel and tourism begins to recover. We all have a part to play in keeping children safe from sexual exploitation.