Tourism for Good? - Respecting Child Rights in Project VisitsExpert input and practice example 10 May 2022, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm CEST Many tour operators aim to promote cultural exchange and foster an understanding of local customs and societal topics. Therefore, they offer project visits, which enable "authentic" and up-close interactions between travellers and local people. In many cases, these projects have a social component, and often involve children. But as soon as this particularly vulnerable group is included – e.g., by visiting schools, sports projects or community centers – the line between wanting to do good and causing harm becomes thin. With the growing trend of tourism activities featuring visits to local projects, more children are involved in tourism and can be put at risk of exploitation. As part of their human rights due diligence, tourism businesses need to develop child-sensitive products, implement policies and adopt approaches that recognise children's vulnerability, seek to mitigate risks and ensure their safety. Continued vigilance is needed not only for child safeguarding measures regarding sexual exploitation but also related to project selection and risk management, direct staff conduct and training, the sensitisation of travellers and the adoption of reporting of suspected cases. Josephine Hamann ( Project Manager Child Protection in Tourism at ECPAT Germany) will share her knowledge and first-hand experience and give concrete examples of measures that can be taken to respect and protect the rights of children when conducting tourism project visits. Thulani Madondo (Co-founder and current Executive Director of the Kliptown Youth Program) will be further elaborated from a project's perspective on what to consider in terms of product design and policies. This webinar is targeted at tourism businesses and other stakeholders offering project visits where tourists come into contact with children during their travels and is intended to Provide guidance in ensuring children's rights during tourism-related project visits Raise awareness of the various issues and forms of harm that can arise when children are involved in travel products Show concrete measures on how to implement and improve child protection policies and procedures concerning project visits in tourism Please evaluate the webinar here. Speaker: Josephine Hamann is a project manager for Child Protection in Tourism at ECPAT Germany which is part of the global ECPAT network working towards ending the sexual exploitation of children. Josephine advocates for the protection of children’s rights in tourism. As cooperation with the private sector is key, she supports tourism companies in implementing protection measures, for example by adhering to the six criteria of The Code (short for The Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children in Travel and Tourism). Speaker: Thulani Madondo is the co-founder and current Executive Director of the Kliptown Youth Program (KYP). Thulani himself was born in Kliptown, located on the very edge of Soweto. He is also a professional Soweto Tourist guide and participated in other community development organizations prior to founding KYP in 2007. KYP is a community-driven youth lead organization that seeks to provide holistic educational support for children and youth to create opportunities out of poverty. It provides homework support, two meals daily, performing arts, computer literacy and sports. Around 902 children and young people now attend the KYP. Selected tour operators, like Studiosus Reisen, support KYP and visit this project in their tour programs. Moderation: Katharina Stechl is working as Program Manager for the multi-stakeholder initiative and non-profit association Roundtable Human Rights in Tourism. After her studies in Tourism Management at the University of Applied Science in Munich, among other jobs, she worked for the “Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit” (GIZ) in India in the field of urban and industrial development. She has profound experience in the areas of international development cooperation and communication/copywriting. The Roundtable Human Rights in Tourism builds a trusted network of currently 33 tourism stakeholders from six countries. It provides access to expertise, initiates pilot projects and develops learning materials to support the implementation of human rights due diligence in accordance with the UN Guiding Principles within tourism companies, the supply chain and in destinations.