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a resolution, as well, in which it “recommends that all members….consider measures toprevent the use of their premises for the commercial sexual exploitation of children [and]prevent ease of access to child prostitution or child pornography”. 267Although all charters and resolutions should be considered positive steps in the effort tocombat CSEC, they are voluntary in nature. If a member chooses to ignore the resolution,at worst it will be disassociated. Further, the language in these texts is often drafted afterintense negotiations with multiple partners, including both trade unions and management.As a result, many of the words chosen are not as forceful as they could be. For example,terms such as “encouraged” and “recommended” permeate the literature distributed bythese international networks, rather than phrases such as “must” or “required”. As well,these charters and resolutions can only target very precise forms of CSEC, such as thoseperpetrated by members of large organisations or networks. Finally, it is important to notethat these obligations are very difficult to monitor.3.3 Regional and National ProgrammesAs outlined above, the international travel and tourism industry has concentrated its effortsto combat CSEC in its own environment by educating its regional and national membersand offering them guidance as to how they can contribute to the fight. In turn, there havebeen many projects undertaken at the local level that have met with positive results.A series of successful initiatives have been generated by European travel organisations. TheGroup of National Travel Agents and Tour Operators Association within the EuropeanUnion (ECTAA) passed a “Declaration against Child Sex Tourism” in which groupscommitted themselves to excluding “without delay” any member proven to be engagedin sex tourism. 268 In 1997, the Confederation of the National Associations of Hotels,Restaurants, Cafés and Similar Establishments (Hotrec), based in Brussels, voted positivelyon a “Declaration against the Sexual Exploitation of Children”. 269 The Hotrec declarationis unusual as it states “regret” for the use of the term “child-sex tourism”: “[The expression]is highly damaging to the image of the tourism industry. Such crimes occur because ofchild sex abusers and, unfortunately, they occur in all sorts of circumstances which are notrelated to tourism activities”. 270National governments have also been instrumental in assisting or mandating privateenterprises in the tourism industry to address the issue of CSEC. In 1999, the EuropeanParliament, the Council, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee ofthe Regions issued a “Communication on the Implementation of Measures to Combat68|Private Sector Accountability in Combating the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children