Life Onboard LAST UPDATE  February 6, 2010
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January 6, 2010 Saito Keiko and ECPAT – Open your eyes to the reality of child trafficking
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Saito Keiko (left) hopes to connect people around the world in the fight against child trafficking and exploitation.
Saito Keiko can still recall the horrible feeling she had on a bus in northern Thailand when she saw the lost and sad look on a young Thai girl’s face. Although accompanied by two grown-ups, the girl was clearly not travelling with her parents, Ms Saito says, adding that she knew instantly the girl was being taken to Bangkok to be sold into forced labour or prostitution.

That realization motivated her to become involved in the fight against child trafficking.

Twenty years later, she represents the Japan office of End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking in Children for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT), an international network started in 1990 in response to the increase of child sex tourism in Asia.
“Adults have a responsibility to protect children, not exploit (them),” she says.
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Ms Saito asked participants to spend the next three months of their voyage considering how they can help victims of child prostitution and pornography.
There are 1.8 million children around the world, according to Ms Saito, who are sold for sex – both prostitution and pornography – and another 1.2 million who work in forced labour.

“How many children are exploited isn’t definite,” she says, “I think that is only the tip of the iceberg.” It’s an industry that is worth billions of dollars each year.

Along with countries such as Australia, Korea, and the United States, says Ms Saito, men from Japan have for years travelled to Southeast Asia to take advantage of unenforced child exploitation laws: in particular, Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines are mentioned as the most popular locations for child sex tourism.

“Travel companies are contributing a little bit to this problem,” she says, if nothing else though ignorance or reluctance to address the subject. While passing through immigration at the port of Keelung, Taiwan, Peace Boat participants saw stacks of pamphlets warning about the laws concerning sex tourism. That’s a standard all countries and the travel industry need to follow.
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The ECPAT-Body Shop “STOP” campaign began August 2009.
“Have you seen these pamphlets at Narita airport?” she asked Peace Boat participants from Japan, fully aware the answer would be “no.”

Since 2005, ECPAT has spearheaded a code of conduct campaign for hotels and travel agencies to not do business with known child abusers. The organization – with member groups in 75 countries around the world – also formed a partnership last year with cosmetics chain The Body Shop, called the “STOP” Campaign. Ms Saito is a core member of the management committee for this project.

The STOP campaign advocates for countries to “adhere to international legal standards” and aims to support “community-based prevention programmes to stop child trafficking.” According to ECPAT, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in many countries are taking the lead in prevention and awareness activities while governments fall behind in their responsibilities to protect children.
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Many participants thanked Ms Saito for helping them openly talk about such a difficult issue.
But, Ms Saito says, lobbying for change is only part of the solution. We must improve the economic situation in poor countries in order to end child exploitation, and we shouldn’t shy away from talking about the issue.
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Toita Satomi promoted fair trade products sold by Japan Grace at Ms Saito’s lectures.
Peace Boat organised exposure tours for participants to visit ECPAT facilities in both Taiwan and the Philippines, and held a series of open feedback sessions onboard. Japan Grace, Peace Boat’s travel agent, is a member of the Code of Conduct project and sells fair trade goods – such as dried mango from the Philippines and jewellery made through ECPAT programs -- to raise awareness about the work partner organizations are doing to fight child exploitation, and the role of the travel industry.

“This is a very serious topic. So, sometimes when I speak in a serious way, people don’t want to hear it. People don’t want to listen to bad things.” The fact that so many people, especially young people, took part in her lectures is inspiring, Ms Saito says.

“So many people in the world have to be connected and exchange ideas, and finally the problem will be solved.”

For more information visit www.ecpat.net
With translation assistance by Takami Etsuko and Fukuda Hikari.

ECPAT PROFILE
ECPAT – End Child Prostitution, Pornography and Trafficking in Children for Sexual Purposes – is an international network of people and organisations cooperating to eliminate the commercial sexual exploitation of children, in all forms. Since beginning in 1990, ECPAT has grown to include partners in 75 countries around the globe and it has a special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC).