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Summary: ECPAT International welcomes today’s commitment by Accor Brazil to the Code of Conduct against the sexual exploitation of children in tourism. Accor Brazil launched the Code of Conduct this evening during ECPAT International’s 3rd general assembly in Rio de Janeiro. The ECPAT Code of Conduct is supported by the World Tourism Organization and UNICEF. RIO DE JANEIRO, 8 September – ECPAT International welcomes today’s commitment by Accor Brazil to the Code of Conduct against the sexual exploitation of children in tourism. Accor Brazil launched the Code of Conduct this evening during ECPAT International’s 3rd general assembly in Rio de Janeiro. The ECPAT Code of Conduct is supported by the World Tourism Organization and UNICEF. ECPAT International executive director Carmen Madriñán says the signing of the Code of Conduct is most welcome as it marks a formal commitment by Accor in Brazil to take specific actions to combat child sex tourism and to report on those actions. “Bringing in the private sector as an extra partner strengthens and complements existing efforts by government and civil society to end child sex tourism.” “I am very pleased because it’s part of a global partnership we have with Accor and this is one more indication that the partnership is growing and expanding to other parts of the world,” says Ms Madriñán. “It is wonderful to see that today’s Code of Conduct agreement involves our ECPAT friends CEDECA-Bahia and Resposta. Together with Accor, I am certain that they will achieve enormous success in the implementation of the Code of Conduct in Brazil.” ECPAT International officer for combating child sex tourism Luc Ferran says the Code of Conduct launch in Brazil marks the start of a South America campaign by Accor to combat child sex tourism. “It will extend the ECPAT-Accor collaboration to Argentina, Peru, Columbia and Chile starting immediately,” says Mr Ferran. Accor has already begun to implement the Code of Conduct in Bangkok and other parts of Thailand, well as in Indonesia and now in Cambodia. “ECPAT is proud that the model of combating child sex tourism developed in South East Asia is being exported now to South America. We’re tackling another major child sex tourism destination content which means we’re closing down the number of places in which child sex tourism can occur.” Brazil has long been a major sex tourism destination as well as a child sex tourism destination. Mr Ferran says the Accor launch of the Code of Conduct in Brazil is directed at preventing domestic as well as international tourists from having sexual contact with children. Notes for Editors: ECPAT International is a network of 73 groups in 67 countries working to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children. The ECPAT Code of Conduct is supported by the World Tourism Organization and UNICEF. Tour operators and tourism organizations which sign on to the Code of Conduct commit themselves to informing customers, training staff and adopting other policies to protect children. See www.thecode.org and www.ecpat.net For more information, please contact: ECPAT International Communications Officer, Karen Mangnall at [email protected] Tel: +55-(0)21-8123-5647. CEDECA-Bahia Waldemar Oliveira at [email protected] Tel: +55-71-9948-5700 Resposta Ana Paula Felizardo at [email protected] Tel: +55-84-3201-9436 Accor Brazil Marcia Leite, Voice Communicação at [email protected] Tel: +55-11-3816-1230 Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism Secretariat Coordinator, Camelia Tepelus at [email protected]