July 26th, 2013 –
SAN FRANCISCO, CA— Socially responsible tour operator Altruvistas has announced they will formally join ECPAT’s Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct at an official signing party taking place in San Francisco Saturday, August 3rd. Altruvistas will be the 17th member in the United States to sign the Code and Founder and former Global Exchange Reality Tours Director Malia Everette will be the first individual to lead two organizations in implementing the Code.
The Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct seeks to mobilize the travel industry to address to growing global issue of the over 1.2 million children per year who are trafficked and forced to engage in sex tourism. The Code provides a set of six voluntary guidelines that travel and tourism companies can adopt to address this issue.
“In my 20 years as both a professional and personal traveler, I have witnessed firsthand the devastating growth of sex tourism and how it exploits people, cultures, and communities—both in our own backyards and across the world,” said Altruvistas Founder Malia Everette. “As a woman, mother and travel professional, I am especially inspired by and committed to the work of ECPAT USA and International to expose and address this dark underbelly of the travel and tourism industry.”
As a signatory of the Code, Altruvistas will employ a host of measures to ensure that education and action around combatting sex trafficking and tourism are integrated both into their tours’ programming and the company’s operations. Altruvistas has committed to educate travelers and train domestic and international staff on the issue and how to prevent it, provide information to local actors who are key in tourist destinations, and report annually on the company’s progress in implementing these measures. In addition, Altruvistas will continue to donate a TassaTag benefitting ECPAT and raising the profile of the subject to every traveler on their trips.
“Malia has been a strong supporter of ECPAT-USA and the Code for years. She is an outspoken leader in the fight to protect children in tourism. We commend her efforts and are so proud to be partnering with Altruvistas in their Code implementation,” said Carol Smolenski Executive Director of ECPAT-USA.
Altruvistas’ The Code signing party and awareness and fundraising happy hour will take place on the back patio of Bar Agricole in San Francisco’s SOMA neighborhood on August 3rd from 2-5pm. The event with feature remarks from Malia Everette and ECPAT USA’s Michelle Guelbart, with ten percent of funds from the happy hour going towards ECPAT USA’s efforts to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children through awareness, advocacy, policy, and legislation. As an official member of the The Code, Altruvistas will join over 900 tour operators, hotels, travel agencies and their associations across 34 countries in this fight.
Come watch Altruvistas sign the Code! For more information click here.
About ECPAT-USA
ECPAT-USA is the leading policy organization in the United States seeking to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children through awareness, advocacy, policy, and legislation. ECPAT-USA is a member of the ECPAT International network, with offices in 73 countries. For more information visit www.ecpatusa.org.
About Altruvistas – http://altruvistas.com/
Altruvistas inspires you to engage your passion, explore the issues you care about, share with communities around the world, and build dynamic philanthropic relationships through intentional meso-financing programs, professional fellowships and customized journeys.
Altruvistas promotes transformational philanthropy in the travel industry through three program areas:
1. AltruFunds- Our Meso-financing program¹s mission is to provide communities the financial tools they need to improve their lives and benefitfrom the tourism sector.
2. AltruConnects- Our professional fellowship program matches community grantees with emerging or service seeking tourism professionals to implement community development programs, support the capacity building of the community and bridge cultural norms.
3. AltruJourneys create privately branded trips for others using the pillars of experiential education, philanthropy and social responsibility.
Our goal is to provide you with ethical, comprehensive, educational and philanthropic travel planning services so that you can have the adventure of a lifetime that is culturally insightful, engaging, comfortable, and worry-free while also synergistically benefiting the local economy, our hosts, important causes and even highlights the good work you are doing in the world!
Original Source of Press Release: http://ecpatusa.org/2013/07/altruvistas-to-join-forces-with-ecpat-to-combat-child-sexual-exploitation-in-the-travel-industry/
