Accor’s commitment mainly consists in training staff on how to prevent this risk and raising customer awareness. The group works alongside ECPAT, (End Child Prostitution, Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes) an international NGO which includes a network of 77 organizations in more than 70 countries since 2003.

The Group makes its commitment official by signing the “Code of Conduct for the protection of children against sexual exploitation in tourism”. This document, written by ECPAT/WTO, sets the principles for an active policy against sexual exploitation of children in tourism. In March 2008, Accor was nominated member of the Executive Committee.

The Code of Conduct now signed in 38 countries: Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Romania, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Switzerland, Russia, Austria, Hungary, France (French Minister of Tourism Charter), and all sub-Saharan countries were the Group is located : in Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Benin, Togo, Rwanda, Burundi, Cameroon, South Africa, Mozambique, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, and Guinea Conakry.

Since 2002, thousands of employees have been trained. In 2007 only, more than 9500 employees have been trained in Asia and sub-Saharan African countries in order to detect suspicious behaviors and know how to react.

In Africa, a mobilization kit was sent to every hotel directors in July 2006 in order for them to train their employees and to systematically display the awareness posters in the lobby and the corridors of the hotel.


Customer awareness

- In France, 2 million information leaflets were distributed in all Carlson Wagonlit Travel agencies, starting in 2001, and in the Club Med network in 2005.

- In Brazil, Romania, Dominican Republic, Thailand, Indonesia, and all Sub-Saharan countries Accor’s commitment is shown on posters and other communication tools in Sofitel, Novotel, Parthénon and Mercure hotels.

- the ECPAT film is on the Novotel Bangna Bangkok, televisions and in the Sofitel Auberge de la Vieille Tour in Guadeloupe.

- The French ECPAT campaign (2006) is relayed in the hotels in France, Dominican Republic and Russia and in the Accor magazine.


Other initiatives

In Asia, funds are raised regularly for the benefit of ECPAT educational projects, through charity events organized by Accor or via donation boxes displayed in group hotels. In 2007, for Earth Guest Day, on April 22nd, Thailand organized the “Walk for children” in Bangkok. More than 750 people participated. The participation is not free and open to all. More than 630,00 baht, that is $18,000, have been raised, and donated to the NGO ECPAT, for its Chiang Rai centre in the North of the country, which shelters sexually abused children


Today, Accor wishes to reinforce its contribution to the fight against child sex tourism alongside ECPAT. The objective is to spread Accor’s commitment country by country, “in-bound” a well as “outbound” destinations, by strengthening staff training programs and customer awareness.