What has happened in Austria in the areas of child protection concepts, child protection in tourism and child trafficking?
Vienna (OTS) – ECPAT Austria, a leading organization in the field of child protection, is celebrating its 20th anniversary and taking stock. Since its founding in 2003, ECPAT Austria – Working Group for the Protection of Children’s Rights from Sexual Exploitation – has been tirelessly committed to protecting children in its four core topics: in tourism, in the digital space, in the fight against child trafficking and in the area of child protection concepts. A lot has been achieved, but there are still challenges and gaps – not least in terms of basic financing.
Child protection concepts – a success with structural gaps
Together with the Federal Association of Austrian Child Protection Centers and the Children’s Rights Network ECPAT Austria has the successful EU project from 2019 to 2022 „Safe Places“ to promote child protection concepts and this work laid the foundation for the legal anchoring of child protection concepts. Kindergartens and crèches, for example, are now required to implement protective concepts in several federal states, and a nationwide obligation for all schools should follow. The Safe Places platform www.schutzkonzepte.at has established itself as a central source of knowledge on protection concepts. In addition to success, further challenges remain, because in order to ensure effective implementation, the creation and implementation of a child protection concept requires funding opportunities and content-related support for organizations and institutions.
Structural child protection is also an important requirement in international development cooperation and requires financial and substantive support to be implemented. For many years, ECPAT Austria has been supporting organizations in their protection concepts on behalf of private and public donors, including in the international environment. The current funding from the Foreign Ministry agency ADA expires in the middle of next year. Switching this support from project funding to a long-term service would be an important next step in protecting children from violence in organizations and institutions.
Lack of infrastructure for those affected by child trafficking
There are also a lack of resources regarding protection and care for victims of child trafficking. The implementation of the concept developed in recent years in the working group against child trafficking, with the participation of ECPAT Austria, for a necessary, specialized protection facility for underage victims of human trafficking still has to wait because financing is not secured. From a child protection perspective, this is unacceptable for this particularly vulnerable group of children.
ECPAT Austria has been a member of the task force to combat human trafficking and the task force working group against child trafficking since 2007. Training of professionals to raise awareness, identify and care for affected children has long been an integral part of the activities. An early warning system for missing children is currently being established in a pilot project in North Macedonia.
Child protection has not yet arrived in Austrian tourism
Child protection in tourism was at the beginning of ECPAT Austria’s activities. As still the only organization in Austria that is committed to child protection in tourism, ECPAT is the interface between corporate responsibility in tourism businesses, tourism training as well as international initiatives and national representation of the international child protection code “The Code”.
Tourist infrastructures can be key points for abuse and exploitation, but that is precisely why they are also key to protecting children and young people. Awareness raising, advice, information on risks and cross-border display options and corresponding protection concepts must be implemented and promoted much more strongly in the future.
Focus: child protection in the digital space
Effective and long-term solutions to combat the spread of child sexual abuse online are in the hands of state governments. Together with around 80 civil society child protection organizations, ECPAT Austria is appealing to the European Union to improve the protection of children from online sexual exploitation. ECPAT therefore calls on the Austrian government to adopt the EU legislative proposal “Determination of Regulations to prevent and combat the sexual abuse of children” to support. The right to privacy of users and the right of children to be protected from violence are two core fundamental rights that should go hand in hand instead of being mutually exclusive. ECPAT Austria regrets Austria’s primarily negative attitude towards this.
Conclusion and outlook: Free child protection?
„ECPAT Austria has played a significant role in child protection, especially in areas where few others are active, and is committed to putting an end to sexual violence against children in all forms and areas. After more than 20 years, we can look back on significant successes, but also on many challenges. We are particularly pleased about our contribution to system change, such as the widespread and partial legal anchoring of child protection concepts as well as the establishment of specialized training courses on child trafficking since 2005
“, says Mag.a Waltraud Gugerbauer, Managing Director of ECPAT Austria, during the 20th anniversary celebrations and in the run-up to Human Rights Day 2023. “Nevertheless, there is a lack of financial resources and substantive support for the effective implementation of child protection measures in Austria. Small organizations that make a significant contribution to protecting children cannot continue to do so “for free”.
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Questions & Contact:
Contact:
Mag.a Waltraud Gugerbauer
Managing Director ECPAT Austria
Mobil: +43 (0)6991 923 76 02
Email: gugerbauer@ecpat.at
Web: www.ecpat.at / www.kinderschutzkonzepte.at / www.nicht-wegsehen.at