About Us

 

Who Are We?

ECPAT-USA works at a critical nexus between a transnational movement, national policy makers, local governments, community leaders and case workers sharing information, best practices, effective policies and needs to more effectively fight for the end of sexual exploitation of children.

What Do We Do?

Through research, ECPAT-USA provides facts and statistics about the current state of child prostitution and child trafficking in the United States.

Through advocacy programs, ECPAT-USA speaks on behalf of exploited children around the world.

Through education and training, ECPAT-USA informs and trains policy-makers and community leaders to combat the sexual exploitation of children.

In so doing,
ECPAT-USA trains people in the travel industry to take an active role against sex tourism. The legitimate travel industry does not support commercial sexual exploitation of children. But its facilities may be used to that effect by people who travel abroad to sexually exploit children because they believe it is legal and culturally acceptable to do it overseas.

ECPAT-USA provides technical assistance to U.S. companies that are developing their own staff training programs about child sex tourism. It also conducts training sessions for travel industry staff in the Cancun/Riviera Maya section of Mexico and in Belize.

ECPAT-USA informs the public that sex with children is against the law everywhere and if caught will be prosecuted and extradited to their home country, if necessary. it has carried out many letter writing, brochure and public speaking campaigns aimed at travelers.

ECPAT-USA mobilizes Congress against child sex tourism. It meets with and provides written information to educate members of Congress and their staff about policies and laws that need to be in place to stop exploitation by American sex tourists. It asks them to sponsor legislation aimed at ending child sex tourism.

ECPAT-USA works to protect children sexually exploited by Americans who travel abroad to participate in the practice of child sex tourism; children trafficked to the United States; and American children trafficked and exploited within the United States.

Working with ECPAT organizations around the world, ECPAT-USA promotes the “Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism”. The code consists of the following steps:

• Establish a corporate ethical policy against commercial sexual exploitation of children.
• Train company personnel in the country of origin and travel destinations.
• Introduce clauses in contracts with suppliers, stating a common repudiation of sexual exploitation of children.
• Provide information to travelers through catalogues, brochures, in-flight films, ticket-slips, websites, etc.
• Provide information to local “key persons” at destinations.
• Report annually to the Code of Conduct secretariat. (www.thecode.org)

ECPAT-USA’s Protect Children in Tourism Project in Mexico and Belize has finished three years of work aimed at obtaining the cooperation of the travel and tourism industries in those countries to combat child sex tourism. Partnering with NGO’s and the travel industry in both countries allowed ECPAT-USA to promote the code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism. In Cancun, Mexico, the largest Mexican destination for American tourists, the most important travel industry associations signed the Code. In the Riviera Maya section of Mexico there has been unprecedented support from the travel industry and local government. In Belize, over 50 companies nationwide signed and training was conducted by our travel industry partner.

The Code of Conduct has been signed by over 900 companies in 23 countries, including tour operators, travel agencies, hotels, tourism umbrella organizations and tourism worker’s unions in Europe, Asia and Latin America.

In 2008 the Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism won the Ashoka Changemakers award on Ending Global Slavery. Changemakers gives awards to projects and programs leading the way in the rapidly growing world of social innovation.
 

Carol Smolenski, the Executive Director and one of the founders of ECPAT-USA, has been working in the field of children’s rights for eighteen years.

The Regina Center, Nongkhai, Thailand

In 1981, the Good Shepherd Sisters came to Nongkhai, the Northeast region of Thailand and one of the poorest areas of the country, in which all lives relied on the rice crops. Working at first in the border camps, they had a good understanding of the local people. Also, having worked in Bangkok since 1965 with the women who had migrated to the city from the rural areas, they understood the pressures on rural families in trying to satisfy their most basic needs. So the Sisters, working with the Isan people, implemented development projects which have to this day been a source of empowerment, improving the quality of life for all involved.

To enable young girls and women to remain with their families and in their village communities, rather than moving to the cities in search of work, the sisters began a handicraft making centre in Nongkhai. The center offers opportunities for those employed to provide for their families and to further their own education. Approximately 205 other women, who are caring for young children at home, are offered work to do in their own home.

Women are taught to embroider, smock and use sewing machines. They are also are trained to take responsibility for management in all areas related to craft production, decision – making, accountancy, invoicing, quality control, packing, salaries and supervision. This teaches them to start a small business on their own when an opportunity occurs.

 

Miss Jiraporn Pipak

She is 33 years old and has been working in the Centre for 17 years. She has one brother and two sisters. She is the youngest of the family. After finishing primary school, she came to work at the Centre. She was encouraged to continue school, and she went on to high school. She achieved her studies and is now the head of the Department of embroidery in the Centre.

 

 

Mrs. Suttini Poogongtong

Suttini is 37 years of age and has worked in the Centre since she was 26. She has an older sister. Her parents died when she was young. Father Shea paid for her studies. She was able to go to the University to learn Commerce and Marketing. She raised her children, a boy and a girl. Her daughter works along with her in the sewing department.

 

 

Mrs. Patcharine Bootwet
Patcharine is 44 years old and entered the Centre fifteen years ago. She comes from a family of 3 children and has two brothers. Her father was an accountant. Despite the little money they had, he paid for her to go to high school. After her studies she found a job in a bag factory in Bangkok. She got married and followed her husband to Nongkhai and had two sons. Before she arrived at the Regina Self-Help Centre, she worked in the Village Weaving, which is also run by the Good Shepherd Sisters. She is now the manager of the Department of bag making.

 

Mrs. Kraisorn Janthanit

She is 30 years old, and has been working at the craft department for seven years. Before coming to our Centre she was a very poor farmer and finished only her Primary Grade Six. She asked to learn sewing, but her skills were very poor. She applied herself to learn and made steady progress in her sewing to meet the requirements of our customers. She is very proud to have reached such a high standard.

Kraisorn faithfully joins the many activities organized by the Sisters, especially those related to inter group relationships, and gladly applies them to everyday life. She has now overcome her initial shyness and especially enjoys Thai dancing.

The Story of TassaTag ™

Travelers Take Action Against Sex Slavery and Trafficking
 
In 1993, Brenda Hepler attended the UN Human Rights Conference held in Vienna, Austria as a representative of a Children’s Rights Organization. A major issue at that Conference was the sex slavery and trafficking of children. When Brenda attended the UN Women’s Conference in Beijing in 1995, she found many of the workshops focused on this same issue.   

What could one person do to make a difference? Brenda had been a teacher, a travel agent, a foreign student advisor, a storyteller, a cross-cultural educator, and an advocate for responsible tourism. Now, at age 68, this wife and mother decided to build upon her experience and contacts in the travel industry. After all, the promoters of sex slavery and trafficking of children took advantage of this industry. What better than a large, bright, and beautiful luggage tag! Travelers would be able to easily spot their luggage. Sales of the tags could raise awareness of the issue and assist in protecting children.
 
To counter this dark issue, the tags needed to be beautiful; they needed to represent the beauty of the children who were the victims.  For her logo, she wanted the beauty and delicate strength of a flower. Since the daisy was the only flower she could draw, that image became her focus. Upon the advice of her son, she drew the daisy with one petal falling; the single petal looked like a tear. Nature wept for its own while maintaining its beauty and strength.
 
To begin the move from concept to finished product, Brenda worked with advisors from the San Francisco and Napa College Small Business Development Centers. She also received assistance from the Sawyer Center in Santa Rosa regarding prototype development and trademark.

The tags had to be in bright, bold colors and of sustainable fabric. Manufacturing had to meet the criteria for Fair Trade. She contacted the Regina Center in Nongkhai, Thailand. The Center met all her needs.   

Brenda now had a plan and a product. She was ready to contact the US Chapter of Thailand-based ECPAT. As a result of her contact, TassaTag™ has become a project of ECPAT-USA.
 
Often when we hear the words sex slavery and trafficking, we think, “How horrible, but what can I do?”  Now, with a TassaTag™, travelers can do something about it.