Child sexual exploitation: The prefect of Mbour warns of a persistent vulnerability

The protection of children from sexual exploitation and abuse in travel and tourism contexts was the focus of a multi-sectoral workshop organized in the Mbour department by the Human Rights Directorate of the Ministry of Justice. The Director of Civil Affairs and the Seal, Marie Odile Thiakane, representing the Minister of Justice, emphasized the need for collective action to better protect children in tourist areas.

She reiterated that "no child should be exposed to sexual exploitation or abuse because of their vulnerability or the tourist traffic in their territory. Senegal has made the protection of children's rights a priority for many years. Our country has ratified the International Convention on the Rights of the Child, its Optional Protocol concerning the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, as well as the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child."

According to her, the existence of a legal framework is not enough. The various stakeholders must understand their responsibilities and know how to react when a child is in danger. For the authorities, "tourism development cannot come at the expense of children's rights."

Thus, the workshop aims to strengthen the capacities of social workers, security forces and child protection structures, but also to raise awareness among tourism and hospitality professionals, transporters, guides, health personnel and the media.

Mbour, a particularly exposed department

The choice of Mbour to host this meeting was not accidental. The department has several major tourist areas. And Prefect Amadou Diop raised a worrying observation regarding the vulnerability of some children in the Petite-Côte region.

According to him, it is important to protect this vulnerable group, which represents approximately 39% (source: ANSD) of the Senegalese population. The prefect points out that the Mbour department remains "one of the most affected by reports of sexual exploitation involving children."

"The town of Mbour remains one of the departments most affected by reports of sexual exploitation involving children, especially in the Petite-Côte area. When poverty meets anonymity, when a talibé wanders the streets all day, when a young girl is abandoned and out of school, when the family safety net is almost non-existent, the sexual predator is never far away," notes Prefect Amadou Diop.

Ms. Thiakane thus calls for making "the Mbour department a destination where tourism and child protection go hand in hand." Tourism stakeholders are urged to establish a rapid and effective reporting system for child sexual abuse and to adopt a "zero tolerance" policy towards any form of sexual exploitation involving a child.

Following the workshop, the authorities also hope to finalize a local charter for the protection of children by hotels and tourist establishments, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Crafts and Tourism. This charter should, in particular, commit establishments to training their staff, increasing vigilance, reporting incidents, and cooperating with the relevant services.