ChildSafe Travelers are responsible persons traveling through high risk countries with their eyes wide open. They have read and understood the ChildSafe tips for travelers and act accordingly.

Foreign residents who live in a country where children are at high risk of child abuse often function as “role models” for travelers passing through a country. By many locals and children, they might be seen as tourists but often foreign residents have a better understanding of the local circumstances than tourists who only come for a short period of time. Understanding ChildSafe behavior and adopting it – maybe explaining it to tourists or locals – will have a huge impact on the way children are treated in the specific area or city.

ChildSafe Tips for Travelers and Foreign Residents

Tip 1:

Support ChildSafe members.

ChildSafe members (Mototaxis, TukTuks, Hotels / Guesthouses, Restaurants, Internet Cafés) have been trained to protect children from abusive situations. Please check the list of ChildSafe members on this website and look out for the ChildSafe Logo. Please use their services.

Tip 2:

Think twice before buying anything from children on the streets or at temples; support local social workers instead.

You might feel pity for the children selling various products (e.g. flowers, newspapers, shoe shines). However, by buying from children you support child labor which puts them at risk by staying out late and working in hazardous places such as bars and discos. Children often say that they work to pay for their studies, but surveys clearly show that this is something they say to make a sale. Most children are forced into work and they don’t keep the money they earn. By giving money it makes it harder for social workers to encourage them to find alternatives and safe sources of income for the children and their families. If you want to help, support the local social workers that work with these children and/or buy ChildSafe Certified Products (see Tip 7).

Tip 3:

Refrain from giving money to children/parents with young children; it maintains them on the street and places them at risk.

In markets and other tourist destinations, you might be confronted by beggars, many of them children or adults with infants. By giving these beggars money, you encourage them to stay on the streets and prevent local social workers from promoting alternatives to street life. Giving them food/milk has the same results as it maintains children on the streets, where they are exposed to various dangerous situations.

Tip 4:

Taking children back to your hotel room for any reason, is not a good idea and can get you into trouble with authorities.

If you want to help a child in need, refer them to local social workers.

Tip 5:

Avoid places that tolerate prostitution.

Patronizing a place that tolerates prostitution is putting children at risk as many minors are forced into prostitution. A study conducted by UNICEF indicates that between 30 to 35 percent of all sex workers in the Mekong sub-region of Southeast Asia are between 12 and 17 years of age.

Tip 6:

If you see a child in danger, inform the local authorities.

If you witness any situation where a child is at risk, please contact the respective authorities: local hospital, police, or the national ChildSafe team.

Tip 7:

Purchase our ChildSafe Certified Products to support vulnerable children and their families.

Buying ChildSafe Certified Products offers an effective alternative to giving money directly. ChildSafe Certified Products are made by parents so children can go back to school or they are made by former street youth in training so they can find employment. Buying ChildSafe Certified Products is a way you can help provide vulnerable children with a future away from the streets.

Tip 8:	Be aware of the dangers of orphanage tourism, an industry that is sometimes more concerned about money than the welfare of
	children.

Rethink how much real help you are providing by playing with children from a different culture and how much harm strangers can cause in an orphanage. Institutionalized orphanage tourism makes it easier for pedophiles to access children especially if there are no background checks of visitors in place. Some orphanages advertise children who dance for visitors and that it’s possible to rent children for functions. This comes very close to child labor and does not go in line with a child’s right to protection and education.

Please reconsider your help and travel itinerary, support the work of local social workers instead who can make a real positive difference in children’s lives.

If you want to visit an orphanage despite ChildSafe recommendations not to, ensure that this orphanage is officially registered, has a child protection policy in place, children receive sufficient nutrition and education and – for the sake of your own purse – external auditors check the correct use of donations.

Find out more about ChildSafe Certified Products