Safe Travels: Child protection and sustainable hospitality
27 March @ 10:00 - 17:00 CET
Safeguarding children is a cornerstone of social sustainability, aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 16.2) and the Framework Convention on Tourism Ethics (UNWTO, 2019). Addressing child abuse – whether through the exploitation of labour, trafficking, or sexual abuse – is essential, and stakeholders in tourism must take an active role in preventing the mistreatment of minors. Organized by the Eurac Research Center for Advanced Studies, the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, and the Gregorian Pontifical University’s Institute of Anthropology (IADC), in collaboration with ECPAT, this international forum brings together experts from the hospitality industry, NGOs, and academia to tackle the critical issue of child protection in tourism. The forum serves as a platform to share best practices, raise awareness, and promote actionable prevention strategies. It aims to foster collaboration, enhance cross-border cooperation, and encourage long-term commitment to protecting children’s rights while advancing sustainable and ethical tourism practices.
Language: Italian and English with simultaneous translation
Programme:
Morning session: Keynote speeches and discussion
Welcome coffee and registration
Institutional greetings
Mark Lewis, Rector, Pontifical Gregorian University
Michele Gianola, Director, Office for Free Time, Tourism and Sport of the Italian Episcopal Conference
Introduction
Harald Pechlaner, Founding Chair, School of Transformation and Sustainability, Catholic University Eichstätt-Ingolstadt
Child protection in tourism: a global overview
Guillaume Landry, Executive Director, ECPAT International
Fighting child abuse: safeguarding, theology and care
Hans Zollner, Director, Institute of Anthropology IADC, Pontifical Gregorian University
Grounding sustainable tourism through care
Giulia Isetti and Elisa Piras, Senior Researchers, Center for Advanced Studies, Eurac Research
Corporate responsibility: instruments for child protection
Antje Monshausen, Director, ECPAT Germany
Q&A
Lunch break
Afternoon session: Sharing experiences about child protection in tourism
Meeting with the press
Best practices from abroad: three case studies
- No one asks children, right?
Marko Koščak, Associate Professor, Faculty of Tourism, Maribor University - Sex tourism in Malindi and the measures taken by the Diocese
Bernard Malasi, Diocese of Malindi, Kenya - Child protection in tourism: insights and best practices from Mexico
Thais Loera Ochoa, Executive Secretary, SIPINNA – National System for the Comprehensive Protection of Girls, Boys and Adolescents
Discussion
- Alessandro Nucara, General Director, Federalberghi
- Antonio Barreca, General Director, Federturismo
- Alessandra Priante, President, ENIT – Italian National Tourism Agency
- Yasmin Abo Loha, Secretary General, ECPAT Italy ETS
- Federica Giannotta, Advocacy and Program Manager, Terre des Hommes Italy
Wrap-up and conclusion
Harald Pechlaner and Hans Zollner
Final remarks and aperitif