A leading charity is urging travel agents to help fight international child sex tourism.
ECPAT UK, a charity battling overseas child prostitution, pornography and trafficing, has accused the government of failing to tackle the issue, despite having relevant laws in place for the last decade.
However, ECPAT UK director Christine Beddoe claims agents have an important role to play.
Beddoe said: “Agents should know when to ask for advice from their local police. Having a relationship with the local police is just as important as international policing is.”
Beddoe said agents should find a member of a their local police force who can be used as a contact and who they can go to should they have any concerns about a particular client.
She added agents can prove to be important contacts in the fight against overseas paedophilia as they are privy to clients’ travelling information which can prove important to police launching an investigation.
The issue also been further highlighted following the release of Paul Gadd, the pop star Gary Glitter, who is flying back to UK after serving more than two years in a Vietnamese jail for molesting two children.
Beddoe made the comments as ECPAT UK launches the Return to Sender report which urges the British government to use more of the laws available to tackle international child sex tourism.