Workshop seeks solutions to child sexual exploitation in tourism
A consultation workshop to evaluate and analyse Vietnam’s legal framework and give feedback to measures to fight child sexual exploitation in tourism and travel, took place in Hanoi on July 14.
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Nguyen Thi Kim Thoa, Director of the Ministry’s Department of Criminal and Administrative Law said many countries around the world, including Vietnam, are facing challenges related child sexual abuse in general and child sexual tourism in particular.
The international integration policy across fields and national policy on tourism development brought both great economic benefits and challenges to Vietnam, including issues concerning the increase of child sexual crime, and child sexual tourism in particular, she said.
These require the government to have strict legal policies to ensure behaviours related to child sexuality must be strictly handled and prevented as well as Vietnam’s international commitments to protecting and promoting rights of children are implemented, she said.
Christopher Batt from UNODC office in Vietnam said the agency made evaluations on laws in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam-, and built a report “Child sexual exploitation in travel and tourism: a brief analysis of domestic legal frameworks” in the countries.
Since the report was released, Vietnam and the countries have promoted efforts to reform legal regulations, while making adjustments to criminal laws on child sexual exploitation, he noted.
A revised report on the work has been drafted to update and analyse new legal frameworks of each country. The report will give specific recommendations on the ongoing legal reform, serving a foundation for the government of the four countries to promote legal reform, thus increasing effectiveness of the fight against crimes related to child sex tourism, Christopher stressed.
Participants said it is necessary to take comprehensive response solutions in enforcing laws and enhance coordination at national, regional and international levels in the work.
In Vietnam, laws related to child sex tourism have been approved by the National Assembly, including the 2015 Criminal Code, the 2015 Code of Criminal Procedures and the 2016 Law on Children, which have helped reinforce a legal foundation for implementing the work.
