files

1. Introduction and aims
This report has been commissioned by the Swedish network Schyst resande and conducted
by Fair Trade Center, with the overall objective of raising awareness of children’s rights in
relation to tourism and travel destinations that many Swedish tourists visit. It sets to answer
a series of questions. In what ways are children’s rights respected and in what ways are they
violated How are children indirectly affected when their parents work in the tourism industry
How do children engage with, or how are they being exploited by, the tourism industry
and tourists In what ways does voluntourism affect children
This report aims to give recommendations to tour operators and travellers. The three biggest
Swedish tour operators’ work on children’s rights is highlighted. The development of the
Children’s Rights and Business Principles by Unicef, the UN Global Compact and Save the
Children provides travel companies with an opportunity to excel in their work to protect the
rights of the children by fully integrating these principles into their core operations.
The tourism industry is booming. In 2012, the number of tourist arrivals reached 1 billion 8
and this year the industry expects to grow by 3 per cent, generating in total US $6.8 trillion,
or 9 per cent of global GDP. Further, it expects to employ more than 266 million people –
which would mean that 1 in every 11 jobs on the planet is within the tourism sector. 9 While
the importance of the economic contribution of tourism cannot be denied, research shows
that tourism is not without issues and could generate social, cultural and environmental
problems. 10 It is therefore intriguing to look at the situation of tourism-driven countries that
often lack resources to protect vulnerable groups, including children, and to see how they
are affected – both positively and negatively – by tourism.
As this report will demonstrate, when children are negatively affected by the tourism industry,
poverty often sits at the heart of the problem. The need for economic stability makes
parents and their children extremely vulnerable. For example, between 13 and 19 million
children (under the age of 18) are working in the tourism industry. They represent 10–15 per
cent of the total workforce. 11 Hence, they are a target for labour exploitation and are often
not enrolled in school. 12 Children sell goods to tourists and they beg or are used by adults to
attract tourist sympathies – instead of being in school. There are documented cases of children
that are working in restaurants or hotels, in street performing, as tour guides or as sex
workers. By being active in these high-risk occupations, they also run the risk of contracting
HIV/AIDS and are prone to alcohol and drug use. Another key development that highlights
how tourism can affect them negatively is the growing voluntourism industry – particularly
where volunteer placements at orphanages are concerned. Hence, the report also aims to
give recommendations to volunteers and organizations offering volunteer opportunities.
No child’s play | 6