New campaign against child sex tourism: Don't look away
Minister Van der Steur of Security and Justice presented a new campaign against child sex tourism at Schiphol Airport on Thursday. The new campaign is in line with the European campaign Don't look away, so that international and borderless action can be taken.
At the airport, the minister emphasized that travelers and workers abroad are indispensable extra 'eyes and ears' for the police and the Public Prosecution Service in tackling child sex tourism. 'Don't look away! In other words: Don't look away from the sexual exploitation of children', says Van der Steur.
The new campaign was created in collaboration with the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (KMar), the police, Meldpunt Kinderporno, ANVR, TUI Benelux, ECPAT, Terre des Hommes, Plan Nederland and Free a Girl. Together with Major General Van den Brink, deputy commander of the KMar, the minister unveiled the new campaign poster with the appeal not to look away from the sexual exploitation of children, but to report signals. Tackling child sexual abuse is a top priority for the Dutch government. Even if the (Dutch) perpetrators commit such serious offenses abroad.
Involving society in combating the phenomenon of child sex tourism has been part of the approach to child sex tourism since 2010. Various campaigns have already been conducted in this context, including two campaigns in collaboration with Meld Misdaad Anoniem. In the multi-year plan of action against child sex tourism, it was announced eighteen months ago that the government wants to move towards more international cooperation in the campaign, so that recognizable action can be taken in as many countries as possible. This is now being achieved with the 'Don't look away' campaign.
The main goal of the new campaign is to generate international reports with sufficient leads for criminal investigations. The appeal of 'Don't look away' is not only addressed to travellers, but also to employees in the travel industry, international aid and development organizations and companies that are active abroad. In addition, the call is aimed at Dutch people who live here and have knowledge of alleged child sex tourism practices. It is important to raise general awareness so that social control is increased. This contributes to increasing the number of reports of abuses and to further combating crime.
The European campaign 'Don't look away' was developed in 2010 by ECPAT with German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria and Switzerland). In the meantime, not only more European countries have joined, but also a number of countries where many victims of child sex tourism live. In 2014, ECPAT, Terre des Hommes, Plan Nederland and Free a Girl already drew attention in the Netherlands as part of the European campaign 'Don't look away' from football fans traveling to the World Cup in Brazil to report signs of child prostitution. In the coming years, the Netherlands will also set up joint campaign activities with the other participating countries.
To improve the quality of the reports, the website reporting child sex tourism has been updated. Among other things, the report form on the website has been adjusted with more specific questions. It is emphasized that anonymous reporting is possible, but also that it is important that the reporter can be contacted. This with the aim that more reporters leave an email address. There is also an upload function in the report form, so that reporters can send photos or other files.
Source: Rijksoverheid.nl
Are they also going to distribute flyers in Limburg?
Fine, of course, that people are trying to tackle this kind of sick things, but unfortunately it happens everywhere, recently 2 incidents in Limburg and a teacher who dived between the sheets with underage students (think that if it was a teacher, the punishment would have been higher, even though it was by mutual consent of 16-17 year olds). But if this system pays off, great!
I also think it's fine and I can be targeted, but what I don't like is the constant asking of unnecessary questions from people from the Amsterdam Schiphol police.
So in the sense of you often travel to Thailand you sometimes go there for the children I find very inappropriate.
Either people ask these kinds of questions to everyone or they keep their mouths shut, I always travel alone and then you are apparently a pedophile in their eyes, I think this should be denounced.
I have studied this matter for a while and then always come across general and open statements and assumptions.
My question is always what are the results of such campaigns.
It is of course no problem to convince “the gutmensch” of the usefulness of such campaigns. And a man like Minister Van der Steur can make a good impression here, as well as the impressive names associated with these campaigns.
Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (KMar), the police, the Meldpunt Kinderporno, the ANVR, TUI Benelux, ECPAT, Terre des Hommes, Plan Nederland and Free a Girl.
How much money and subsidy is involved, what are the final results, which expert is behind this. Is such a campaign being set up somewhere behind a desk, just to receive subsidy money? I have not come across an evaluation report anywhere.
Maybe someone can help me out?????
However, I am starting to get very annoyed with the question of whether I am traveling alone to Thailand. After the umpteenth time, the tone of this question starts to bother you.
Of course I care about the subject of this campaign and it is certainly not a subject that I like to delve into. But a lead pipe always costs less than what such a campaign costs.
The problem is everywhere; in Thailand and Cambodia and more countries, the children are not held back by the parents; many even send their children to have more money of their own for the children to send. As long as the parents are not informed and guided “it is mopping with the tap open”. So symptomatic approach is wrong. It must be tackled broadly to make everyone - including the parents - realize that this is no longer possible and of course educate the police because they allow it - for a fee. That too must change. So as simple as people now think to solve this does not work and will probably have been invented by a civil servant who does not know how it really works and what interests are involved at the expense of the children who will be scarred for their lives; if only because of the diseases they contract; let alone the “games” where they die or are physically mutilated forever. A report by an individual may even be at risk when reporting in Thailand .
ROJA's comment is correct. I have been coming to cambodia and thailand for 15 years and fear that many organizations generate a lot of money by pushing this problem.
When children go to school, a lot is already achieved.
Keep in mind that there are definitely mentally disturbed people walking around among the so-called pedohunters.
The age of consent should also be carefully considered. In IRAN, for example, a girl may marry at age 13.
Personally, I believe that this pedo problem has been exaggerated.
Of course, bar operators and loverboys who exploit minors must be severely punished.
I've been coming here for almost 20 years and about 16 years ago it was full of posters in Thailand. In shopping malls, in toilets with the text ,,stop the children sex,,.At that time I only noticed that there were women ,those flowers sometimes sold a daughter of about 13 years old with them, whom they, in my opinion, forced a bit. For the rest, never seen or noticed anything. Or I don't know the way, or it's not too bad .But the main reason I respond is the fact that I think there is more pedophilia in the Netherlands than in Thailand.Forgot the court jester? And countless other things. I also felt insulted that I received a leaflet at Schiphol about 6 years ago not to commit child sex, so I immediately returned it. The stove blames the pot for seeing black.