ABTA has teamed up with child rights charity ECPAT UK to launch an online training programme aimed at tackling child sex tourism.
ECPAT UK director Chris Beddoe said the training programme should be ready to launch in time for next summer following a £40,000 grant from Comic Relief, which will be used to develop and build the programme.
She added: “We want to reach out to travel and training professionals with the programme. The support we’ve had from Comic Relief is fantastic too, and by all working together, we can do something to create awareness.”
The programme itself will not only highlight the dangers of overseas child abuse but also suggest measures to tackle it.
Beddoe said by teaming up with ABTA, the organisations are hoping to target its full membership, which comprises 830 tour operators and around 6,500 travel agency outlets.
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