Accra, Aug 27, GNA - Mr. Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, Minister of Tourism and the Modernisation of the Capital City on Wednesday warned that since tourism has the capacity to create both positive and negative impacts, the industry should not be synonymous with the sex trade nor used to exploit the vulnerable in society.

He said it was unfortunate that some tourist destinations in the world have been associated with sex tourism despite its immense contributions to the socio-economic development of such communities. He said studies conducted in parts of Ghana have revealed that, the incidence of social vices, including sexual exploitation was being traded in communities where "we are using or intend to use tourism to improve the livelihood of the people."

Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey said this in a speech read for him by Mr Joel Sonne, Acting Director in-charge of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation at the Ministry during the opening of a three-day stakeholders workshop on sexual exploitation of children in Accra.

The workshop, being attended by tourism experts, hoteliers and others in the hospitality industry is being organised by the Ministries of Employment and Manpower Development and the Women and Children's Affairs in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO/IPEC).

Participants will develop a policy framework on commercial sexual exploitation of children in Ghana, which is currently on increase as revealed by an ILO/IPEC studies conducted last year in the Greater Accra Region.

Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey was particularly concerned about the abuse of child labour by owners of tourism facilities like hotels, restaurants, chop bars and drinking places where children are engaged to provide services to customers, and are thereby exposed to social vices.

He stressed the Ministry's commitment to the eradication of any form of child exploitation and warned that it would not be "lenient on any tourism facility or investors found in dealings that demonstrate the abuse and violation of children's rights and dignity".

He said the Ministry is also involved in the campaign against sexual abuse of children as well as being part of the WTO tourism Taskforce and focal point, stressing, "the government is committed to improving the standards of living within acceptable norms and practices".

The Minister announced that a two-man government delegation would represent the tourism sector in the WTO regional consultation meeting on the protection of children against sexual exploitation in tourism to be held in Senegal in September, this year, where the Ministry's views on the issue would be articulated.

Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey expressed the hope that the workshop would come out with a policy and strategy that would create awareness and consciousness among all identified stakeholders on the need not to exploit and involve children in the development of tourism

He urged the participants to also provide guidelines to eliminate child prostitution and advocate regulations and legislation to protect children against all forms of abuses in tourism related activities.

Mrs Sylvia Hinson-Ekong, National Programme Director of ILO/IPEC was expressed regret that commercial sexual exploitation has become a multi-billion dollar business around the world today, which is closely linked to trafficking in humans, especially women and children. She said studies commissioned by IPEC into child trafficking in nine (9) West and Central African countries in 2000 revealed an alarming rate of child trafficking in the sub-region where commercial sexual exploitation is on the increase, becoming a real problem in those countries.

She described sexual exploitation among children as the most "brutal forms of violence against children which subjects them to extreme physical, psycho-social and mental emotional abuse.

"They are at risk of early pregnancies, maternal mortality, long term psychological damage, corruption of moral and spiritual values, the risk of HIV/AIDS, drug use and drug dependence with their attendant problems".

Mrs Hinson-Ekong therefore, called for a concerted action to prevent children from becoming victims of prostitution and other forms of sexual exploitation.

"Structures need to be put in place to remove children trapped in prostitution, both through outreach programmes and through investigation and law enforcement, protection and rehabilitation programmes". She pledged ILO's readiness to support Ghana wit both technical and financial assistance to combat commercial sexual exploitation in the country.

Mr Glanville Williams, Development Director of the Renaissance Consultancy Firm, which conducted research into sexual exploitation in Ghana last year disclosed that evidence in the sector showed that prostitution was on the increase, particularly around major tourist destinations.

He said victims were normally from very poor families, street children, refugees and internally displaced children, hawkers of petty wares, beggars, school drop-outs and children migrants who depended on prostitution as the only means of survival.

He said factors that caused commercial prostitution among children in Ghana included, poverty, family disintegration, ethnic conflict, economic inequalities, gender vulnerability, abusive traditional and cultural practices, lack of adequate social support structures and poor and ineffective legal and enforcement framework. 27 Aug. 03