{{Short description|Children's rights organisation}} {{Use British English|date=November 2025}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2025}} {{Infobox organization | name = ECPAT International | logo = ECPAT logo.svg | logo_size = 125px | type = NGO | founded = 1990; 36 years ago | location = [[Bangkok]], Thailand | key_people = Guillaume Landry (executive director) | region_served = Global | purpose = Child protection | website = {{URL|https://ecpat.org/}} }} '''ECPAT'''<ref>{{cite web |title=Our history |url=https://ecpat.org/our-history/ |website=ECPAT |access-date=14 May 2024}}</ref> is a global network of civil society organisations that works to end the [[Sexual slavery|sexual exploitation]] of children. It focuses on ending the [[Child pornography|online sexual exploitation of children]], the [[trafficking of children]] for sexual purposes, the sexual exploitation of [[child prostitution|children involved in prostitution]], [[child marriage|child]], early and [[forced marriages]], and the [[Sex tourism|sexual exploitation of children in the travel and tourism]] industry.
The ECPAT International network consists of 122 member organisations in 104 countries.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ecpat.org/|title=ECPAT International|website=ECPAT International|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-04-20}}</ref> Its secretariat is based in [[Bangkok]], Thailand, providing technical support to member groups, coordinating research, and managing international advocacy campaigns.
==History== In 1990, researchers and activists helped to establish ECPAT (an acronym for '''End Child Prostitution in Asian Tourism''')<ref>{{cite web |title=ECPAT - End Child Prostitution in Asian Tourism |url=https://knowledge4policy.ec.europa.eu/organisation/ecpat-end-child-prostitution-asian-tourism_en |website=Knowledge for policy |publisher=European Commission |access-date=23 June 2021}}</ref> as a three-year campaign to end "sex tourism," with an initial focus on Asia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ecpat.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Regional-Overview_Southeast-Asia.pdf|title=Regional Overview of the Sexual Exploitation of Children in Southeast Asia}}</ref> As the terms "child prostitution" and "sex tourism" are no longer used in the sector, today the organisation goes by its initials ECPAT.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://luxembourgguidelines.org/|title=Home - Terminology Guidelines|website=Terminology Guidelines|language=en-GB|access-date=2018-10-29}}</ref> [[Anti-Slavery International]] was one of the original supporters, and helped to set up a branch in the UK.<ref name=asihist>{{cite web | title=Our history | website=Anti-Slavery International | url=https://www.antislavery.org/about-us/history/ | access-date=4 December 2020}}</ref>
In 1996, in partnership with [[UNICEF]] and the NGO Group for the Rights of the Child (now known as Child Rights Connect<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.childrightsconnect.org/members-partners/|title=members & partners {{!}} Child Rights Connect|website=www.childrightsconnect.org|language=en-US|access-date=2018-03-12}}</ref>), ECPAT International co-organised a global world congress against the sexual exploitation of children in [[Stockholm]], Sweden. The congress was hosted by the [[Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency|Government of Sweden]], which also played a major role in attracting support and participation from other governments. As a result, ECPAT grew from a regional campaign into a global [[non-governmental organisation]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://resources.ecpat.net/worldcongressIII/overview2.php|title=World Congress III|date=2008-11-28|publisher=Resources.ecpat.net|access-date=2015-08-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055701/http://resources.ecpat.net/worldcongressIII/overview2.php|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Between 2009 and 2012, ECPAT, in partnership with [[The Body Shop]], helped run the ''Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People''<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thebodyshop.com.au/stories/stop-sex-trafficking#.WqYOJ-hubIV|title=Stop Sex Trafficking {{!}} The Body Shop Australia|work=The Body Shop|access-date=2018-03-12|language=en}}</ref> campaign, which called on governments to safeguard the rights of children and adolescents to protect them from trafficking for sexual purposes. More than 7 million petition signatures were collected worldwide and presented to government officials around the world and to the [[UN Human Rights Council]] in Geneva.
==Research and human rights reporting == [[File:ECPAT members.svg|thumb|States with one or more organisations that are connected to the ECPAT network<br /> {{legend|#0b6a00|ECPAT group(s) in the state}} {{legend|#dedede|None}}]]
ECPAT International produces a variety of research and resources for use by its network members, other NGOs, UN agencies, and researchers. These include regular country reports, regional reports and studies on specific forms of child sexual exploitation, such as the sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://globalstudysectt.org/global-report/|title=Global Report 2016 - globalstudysectt.org|date=2015-02-23|work=globalstudysectt.org|access-date=2018-03-12|language=en-US|archive-date=12 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180312144556/http://globalstudysectt.org/global-report/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the online sexual exploitation of children.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.interpol.int/content/download/36989/473828/version/1/file/Summary%20-%20Towards%20a%20Global%20Indicator%20on%20Unidentified%20Victims%20in%20Child%20Sexual%20Exploitation%20Material.%20February%202018.pdf|title=Towards a Global Indicator on Unidentified Victims in Online Sexual Exploitation - summary report|access-date=12 March 2018|archive-date=12 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180312194225/https://www.interpol.int/content/download/36989/473828/version/1/file/Summary%20-%20Towards%20a%20Global%20Indicator%20on%20Unidentified%20Victims%20in%20Child%20Sexual%20Exploitation%20Material.%20February%202018.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
ECPAT is mandated to monitor the commitments of governments around the world and their legal obligations to protect children from sexual exploitation. ECPAT produces regular country monitoring reports<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ecpat.org/resources/|title=Resources Archive - ECPAT International|website=ECPAT International|language=en-GB|access-date=2018-03-12}}</ref> that are presented to the [[United Nations Office at Geneva|United Nations in Geneva]], to follow up implementation of the Stockholm Agenda for Action (Stockholm, 1996).
==Network membership== The ECPAT network currently consists of 104 member organisations in 93 countries. These include independent civil society organisations, grassroots NGOs and coalitions of NGOs focused on a range of child rights violations.
== The Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism == ''The Code'' is a voluntary set of criteria that travel and tourism businesses can commit to in order to integrate child-protection measures into their operations and prevent their services being used to sexually exploit children. It was developed by ECPAT Sweden in 1996, following the first World Congress against [[Commercial sexual exploitation of children|Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children]], in cooperation with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and several Swedish tour operators, and is now hosted by ECPAT International in Bangkok and promoted through the wider ECPAT network.<ref name=AboutCode>{{cite web |title=About – The Code |url=https://thecode.org/about/ |website=The Code |publisher=ECPAT International |access-date=17 November 2025}}</ref><ref name=Noten>{{cite web |last=Noten |first=Theo |title=Combating the sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism: Achievements and challenges |url=https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Children/Childrenexplotation/TheoNOTENECPAT_presentation.pdf |website=Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights |date=6 March 2013 |access-date=17 November 2025 |format=PDF}}</ref>
Members of The Code undertake to implement six core measures: adopting a child-protection policy and procedures, training employees, including child-protection clauses in contracts, providing information to travellers, working with key local stakeholders, and reporting annually on implementation.<ref name=AboutCode /> The initiative has expanded into a global network; The Code reports that more than 300 travel and tourism companies worldwide are members, including major hotel chains, airlines, tour operators and travel management companies.<ref>{{cite web |title=Take Action – The Code |url=https://thecode.org/take-action/ |website=The Code |publisher=ECPAT International |access-date=17 November 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Announcing nominations of The Code Top Members 2025! |url=https://thecode.org/announcing-nominations-of-the-code-top-members-2025/ |website=The Code |publisher=ECPAT International |date=10 July 2025 |access-date=17 November 2025}}</ref> The Code is frequently cited in discussions of how the tourism industry can help prevent trafficking and sexual exploitation in hotels and other travel settings.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hetter |first=Katia |title=Fighting sex trafficking in hotels, one room at a time |url=https://www.cnn.com/2012/02/29/travel/hotel-sex-trafficking/ |work=CNN Travel |date=29 February 2012 |access-date=17 November 2025}}</ref>
Notable signatories include senior figures from several large hospitality groups. In 2016 AccorHotels expanded its implementation of The Code to the United States; the signing event in Washington, D.C., was attended by Christophe Alaux, then CEO for North America, Central America and the Caribbean, alongside representatives of ECPAT-USA and U.S. legislators.<ref>{{cite web |title=2016 Annual Report |url=https://static1.squarespace.com/static/61bb93dcef0c7030081530d2/t/647536c6862c635e9979a703/1685403346114/2016%2BAnnual%2BReport%2BECPAT%2BUSA.pdf |website=ECPAT-USA |publisher=ECPAT-USA |year=2016 |pages=5–7 |access-date=17 November 2025 |format=PDF}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=AccorHotels Signs The Code in the U.S. to Combat Child Abuse and Trafficking |url=https://press.accor.com/north-central-america-and-caribbean/accorhotels-signs-the-code-in-the-u-s-tocombat-child-abuse-and-trafficking/?lang=en |website=Accor Press Room |publisher=AccorHotels |date=1 February 2016 |access-date=17 November 2025}}</ref> In 2012, [[Carmen Riu]], CEO of [[RIU Hotels & Resorts]], signed The Code on behalf of the company at a ceremony in Gran Canaria, formalising the chain's commitment to measures against the commercial sexual exploitation of minors in tourism.<ref>{{cite web |title=Riu Hotels and Resorts signs The Code |url=https://thecode.org/riu-hotels-and-resorts-signs-the-code/ |website=The Code |publisher=ECPAT International |date=1 October 2012 |access-date=17 November 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=If you suspect any sexual exploitation of children in tourism, please report it immediately |url=https://www.riu.com/blog/en/if-you-suspect-any-sexual-exploitation-of-children-in-tourism-please-report-it-immediately/ |website=RIU Blog |publisher=RIU Hotels & Resorts |date=28 October 2019 |access-date=17 November 2025}}</ref> Jim Allen, chairman of [[Hard Rock International]] and CEO of Seminole Gaming, signed the ECPAT Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct on behalf of Hard Rock in 2022 as part of the company's anti-trafficking initiatives in its hotels and casinos.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hard Rock pledges support for child-protection code |url=https://seminoletribune.org/hard-rock-pledges-support-for-child-protection-code/ |work=The Seminole Tribune |date=1 June 2022 |access-date=17 November 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Hard Rock International Signs ECPAT Child-Protection Code To Help Prevent Human Trafficking |url=https://www.wearepact.org/blog/2022/5/31/hard-rock-international-signs-ecpat-child-protection-code-to-help-prevent-human-trafficking |website=PACT |publisher=PACT / ECPAT-USA |date=31 May 2022 |access-date=17 November 2025}}</ref>
==Protecting children online== ECPAT International works with law enforcement partners, such as [[Interpol|INTERPOL]], to prevent the online sexual exploitation of children. It engages with other child rights organisations, for example, through the [[Internet Governance Forum]], and is a member of the [[Virtual Global Taskforce]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.virtualglobaltaskforce.com/who-we-are/industry-partners/|title=Private Sector Partners|work=virtualglobaltaskforce.com|access-date=4 August 2015|archive-date=6 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906221801/http://www.virtualglobaltaskforce.com/who-we-are/industry-partners/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the European Financial Coalition against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Online. ECPAT is also part of the [[International Telecommunication Union]]´s [[Child Online Protection]] initiative.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.itu.int/en/cop/Pages/civil-society.aspx |title=Working Together|work=ITU|access-date=4 August 2015}}</ref> ECPAT has signed agreements with the International Association of Internet Hotlines,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.inhopefoundation.org/news/8-news-press/15-ecpat-international-and-the-inhope-foundation-cooperate-in-the-fight-against-child-sexual-abuse-material|title=ECPAT International and the INHOPE Foundation cooperate in the fight against child sexual abuse material|work=inhopefoundation.org|access-date=4 August 2015|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303224650/http://www.inhopefoundation.org/news/8-news-press/15-ecpat-international-and-the-inhope-foundation-cooperate-in-the-fight-against-child-sexual-abuse-material|url-status=dead}}</ref> the [[Internet Watch Foundation]] and [[Child Helpline International]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.childhelplineinternational.org/resources/news/mou-asia-pacfic/ |title=CHI - Child Helpline International |access-date=28 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228113101/http://www.childhelplineinternational.org/resources/news/mou-asia-pacfic/ |archive-date=28 February 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
ECPAT advocates for the ratification of international and regional legal instruments such as the [[Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography]], and the [[Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse]] (Lanzarote convention).
== Criticism ==
=== SESTA/FOSTA and use of false data === ECPAT-USA has been criticised for its lobbying for [[Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act]], which has been described by [[Vox (website)|Vox]] as a law intended to "curb online [[sex work]]" while allegedly making consensual sex work less safe.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/4/13/17172762/fosta-sesta-backpage-230-internet-freedom|title=A new law intended to curb sex trafficking threatens the future of the internet as we know it|first=Aja|last=Romano|date=July 2, 2018|via=www.vox.com}}</ref> ECPAT-USA has claimed that at least 100,000 children in the U.S. are commercially sexually exploited, based on reports which used data from 1990 and which have been criticised by social scientists as inaccurate. ''[[The Washington Post]]'' claimed that the figure was "conjured out of thin air, based on old data from a largely discredited report."<ref name="Washington Post">{{cite news |last=Kessler |first=Glenn |date=September 2, 2015 |title=The fishy claim that '100,000 children' in the United States are in the sex trade|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2015/09/02/the-fishy-claim-that-100000-children-in-the-united-states-are-in-the-sex-trade/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=September 28, 2021}}</ref> ECPAT-USA attempted to justify their use of the figure by citing a NISMART report that claimed that there are 1.7 million child runaway incidents each year, and that their figure was conservative, despite the report stating that only 1,700 of the 1.7 million children were engaged in the sex trade, and that more than three-quarters of children were away from home for less than a week, leaving only a very small window for sex trafficking.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=June 4, 2018 |title=Sex Workers Are Protesting FOSTA/SESTA Across the Country |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/sex-workers-are-protesting-fostasesta-across-the-country/ |magazine=Vice |access-date=September 28, 2021}}</ref> ECPAT-USA subsequently agreed "to stop using the figure".<ref name="Washington Post"/>
ECPAT-USA has responded to criticism against SESTA, describing legal sex workers as a "very small segment of society that enters sex work with their eyes wide open, and in the absence of coercion".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ecpatusa.org/blog/2018/4/19/facts-and-myths-about-sesta|title=Facts and Myths About SESTA|website=ECPAT-USA|date=19 April 2018 |language=en-US|access-date=2019-03-03}}</ref> However, since the law came into effect, sex workers have suffered increasing threats of violence, harassment and [[pimping]]. Online communities which provide support to sex workers, such as finding shelter or food, issuing warnings about potentially violent clients and providing rights training, were shut down, putting sex workers in danger. In the past, authorities have used such platforms to track traffickers, and fear that closing them has driven traffickers underground.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/27/online-sex-ads-are-disappearing-due-to-anti-trafficking-law.html|title=Online sex ads are disappearing due to anti-trafficking law, but is that a good thing?|last=Cohn|first=Scott|date=2018-07-27|website=CNBC|language=en|access-date=2019-03-03}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/fosta-sesta-sex-work-and-trafficking/|title=Pimps Are Preying on Sex Workers Pushed Off the Web Because of FOSTA-SESTA|last1=Lunau|first1=Kate|last2=Cole|first2=Samantha|date=2018-04-30|website=Motherboard|language=en-US|access-date=2019-03-03}}</ref>
==Awards== * The 1998 [[Thorolf Rafto Memorial Prize]] for Human Rights * The 2012 [[Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award]] * The 2012 Gold Standard Award for NGO engagement for the Stop Sex Trafficking of Children campaign * The 2013 [[Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hiltonfoundation.org/ecpat-international-awarded-1-5-million-hilton-humanitarian-prize|title=ECPAT International Receives $1.5 Million Hilton Humanitarian Prize - Press release|author=Marc Moorghen|work=hiltonfoundation.org|access-date=4 August 2015|archive-date=2 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150902222602/http://www.hiltonfoundation.org/ecpat-international-awarded-1-5-million-hilton-humanitarian-prize|url-status=dead}}</ref> * The 2017 INTERPOL Crimes Against Children Award<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-trafficking-award/anti-trafficking-group-wins-interpol-award-for-child-sexual-exploitation-fight-idUSKBN1DH2EP|title=Anti-trafficking group wins Interpol award for child sexual...|date=17 November 2017|work=Reuters|access-date=2018-03-12}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Official website|http://www.ecpat.org}} * [http://www.beyondborders.org/ Beyond Borders], representative NGO of ECPAT {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:ECPAT}} [[Category:Organizations established in 1990]] [[Category:Children's rights organizations]] [[Category:Child welfare organizations]] [[Category:International non-profit organizations]] [[Category:Human rights organizations based in Thailand]] [[Category:Organizations that combat human trafficking]] [[Category:Child-related organizations in Thailand]] [[Category:1990 establishments in Thailand]] [[Category:Anti–child pornography organizations]] [[Category:Organizations based in Bangkok]]