Brasília – "Brazil: Those who love it, protect it" is the name of the campaign announced today by the World Tourism Organization to combat sexual tourism involving children and adolescents. The campaign has the support of the Brazilian Ministry of Tourism, and, according to Sidney Alves Costa, a representative of the Ministry, it will be a permanent effort, not limited to just the summer vacation season.
Among the activities programmed is the presentation of one-minute videos on TV and on board international flights. In addition, folders, posters, and panels will be placed in airports in over 20 Brazilian cities. A more focussed event will take place simultaneously along the entire Brazilian coast, beginning December 2. Five thousand campaign T-shirts will be distributed to people who work taking care of parked cars.
"The campaign is not designed only to dissuade foreigners from the practice of sexual exploration, since it is not only foreigners who are responsible. As far as they [foreigners] are concerned, the campaign will cut deeper, because we have an existing organizational structure, through Brazil’s promotion offices and representatives abroad, working at the base, together with foreign travel agencies, to convince them not to induce people into this kind of activity in Brazil, since we have a vigorous policy to repress and combat it," he explained.
The material used in the campaign will present child actors. In order to avoid legal hassles having to do with the exposure of minors, Costa said that the matter was discussed beforehand, and, because the campaign is intended to value childhood, presenting it in a positive light, the exhibition of images of the child actors was authorized.
For the first phase of the campaign, the Ministry of Tourism has set aside US$ 1.092 million (R$ 3 million) in its budget. Costa added that during the World Tourism Forum for Peace and Sustainable Development, which will be held from December 1-6 in Salvador, the Ministry will ratify a partnership with the National Federation of Commerce (CNC) to distribute booklets throughout the country’s hotel network in 2005. 30 Ministers of Tourism from various countries will be discussing ways to combat the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents.
Agência Brasil
Reporters: Irene Lôbo and Lana Cristina
Translator: David Silberstein
11/29/2004
