SITA takes innovative action to always ensure that each element of travel services provided, respect the land and its people and fall under the overall mandate of responsible tourism. The Company has taken the global initiative forward and has started a child awareness programme, in order to protect children from sexual exploitation at all holiday destinations in India.
Sita has been awarded by Bird Express TravelWorld in 2010, in the Corporate Social Responsibility category for its Child Protection Initiative in India.
Child Protection Workshop
As part of its Corporate Responsibility program the Company conducted follow up workshops in India to help protect children from sexual exploitation in tourism. The program included workshops in Cochin Goa. The first round of workshops were held in 2009..
The core objective of these workshops was to enhance awareness amongst the various stakeholders of the tourism industry in Kerala and Goa about the vulnerability of children to sexual exploitation and to also suggest measures which could be taken to control this crime. The first workshops conducted last year in Goa and cochin were a starting point in the action against child sex tourism and were aimed at sensitising hotel partners and other stakeholders. This initiative provided a platform to exchange knowledge and share information for all parties concerned.
This year in 2010, the follow-up workshops were organised in Cochin and Goa to strengthen the knowledge about the situation of sexual exploitation of children in India and discuss realistic child protection measures to be implemented at hotels.
The workshops were organised in co-operation with Equations, the Indian affiliate of ECPAT (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography And Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes – an NGO with International links) and with Child Rights Goa (CRG).
The Company has signed the ‘Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism’ in 2006. Since then the Company has undertaken active steps to help prevent this crime. The Company aims to address the issue by organising more such workshops to sensitise our hotel partners across India & South Asia. The Company is working closely with the Government and its NGO partner in Goa to bring this issue to light and to further strengthen measures which can be implemented to prevent this crime
SITA is associated with an NGO that helps children who are victims of child abuse or are at risk. One of the main objects of the programme is to empower children with knowledge of their rights, rehabilitate victims of sex crimes, and facilitate the development of life skills. The NGO carries out many activities with the children and conducts public awareness campaigns to protect them.
The program focuses on the following areas:
- Medical check-ups.
- Provision of space that the children can identify as their own
- Counselling sessions and showing children audio-visuals to enhance their knowledge regarding their rights.
- Making older children aware of different livelihood options.
- Offer training to the children in the fields of computer operations, cookery, auto mechanics, electrical works, pottery, jewellery making and glass painting.
- Help place those who show a genuine interest and aptitude for a different vocation into certified vocational training institutions. This will help to improve their life chances in the future.
Child Protection Workshop
Sita has conducted workshops in Goa and Cochin in May 2009 and June 2010..The core objective of these workshops was to enhance awareness amongst the various stakeholders of the tourism industry in Goa and Kerala about the vulnerability of children to sexual exploitation and to also suggest preventive measures.
By signing a code of conduct for the protection of children from sexual exploitation in the travel and tourism industry, SITA has made a commitment to prevent the same.
