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First Major
Airline to Combat Global Child Trafficking
DELTA
AIR LINES SIGNS TOURISM CODE OF CONDUCT, JOINING ECPAT-USA IN THE FIGHT AGAINST
CHILD TRAFFICKING IN THE TRAVEL SECTOR
New York, NY (March 9, 2011) – ECPAT-USA, a nonprofit organization that
advocates for policies to protect sexually exploited children, announced that
Delta Air Lines has become the first major airline in the world to enter the
fight against the commercial sexual exploitation of children by signing the
tourism Code of Conduct (The Code). The Code specifically focuses on the
protection of children from sexual exploitation in the travel and tourism
industries. While The Code has been signed by almost 1,000 travel industry
members worldwide, Delta is the first U.S. air carrier and the third U.S.
organization to sign.
As a subscriber to The Code, Delta will implement policies that condemn child
trafficking and provide training to help their employees identify and report
trafficking activities. Delta will also raise awareness among customers by
including information about ECPAT and the Code in its Sky magazine and http://www.facebook.com/l/56843/delta.com
website.
According to Carol Smolenski, Executive Director of ECPAT-USA, the purpose of
The Code is to prevent and mitigate child trafficking, as well as encourage a
socially responsible, child-wise tourism industry.
“All travel companies could unwittingly be facilitating the sex trafficking of
children. If they do nothing to raise awareness or to prevent child trafficking,
they risk becoming an indirect and unintentional conduit for the abuse that
takes places,” said Smolenski. “We applaud Delta Air Lines for taking the
first step toward helping fight the sex trafficking of children that has become
a global epidemic.”
“It continues to be a challenge to reach U.S. companies; a lot of companies
struggle with the fear that associating their company name with the tragic
reality of child sex tourism will hurt their corporate brands or public
images,” said Smolenski. “We are thrilled to have a company like Delta
pioneering the way for other U.S. airlines and businesses to join this fight.”
Other U.S. organizations that have signed The Code include Carlson Companies,
which owns the popular Radisson Hotels, and Global Exchange’s Reality Tours.
Smolenski noted that Delta’s signing of The Code is an important milestone in
ECPAT’s ongoing efforts to reach U.S. travel companies and create awareness of
their need to provide leadership in tackling child trafficking incidents that
can happen within their premises.
“On behalf of Delta and its leadership team, Delta is proud to be the first
U.S. airline to sign The Code. We look forward to playing a role in ECPAT's
important mission to raise awareness about and combat child trafficking. Delta
prides itself on doing what is right, and this is the morally right thing to
do,” said Richard Anderson, CEO, Delta Air Lines.
Smolenski added: “ECPAT-USA is grateful for the work of Sister Valerie
Heinonen of Mercy Investment Services for helping create this new partnership
with Delta Air Lines.”
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