Unforgettable – ACAR members work to protect children from sexual exploitation

• Nov 04, 2015
• MiWeb
• 0 comment

Unforgettable and ACAR

 
ACAR members — Adobe, Mapache and Toyota car rental agencies — were invited to represent the industry in the launch of the Unforgettable Costa Rica campaign’s code of conduct.
 

‘Child sexual exploitation is an unacceptable practice that we must tackle comprehensively. This is a crime for which there are severe prison sentences. The ‘Unforgettable Costa Rica’ initiative is a positive move …to combat this issue.’ Ana Helena Chacon, Vice President of Costa Rica

 

Costa Rica’s Ministry of Tourism and the PANIAMOR Foundation have joined forced in a new, powerful campaign aimed to publicize the country’s strict laws to protect children under the age of 18 from sexual exploitation. Using a website with a format common to those used in the tourism industry, the Unforgettable Costa Rica page shows images of the inside of a prison in the mock advertisement for free accommodation for tourists looking for young girls while on vacation.

Links to the website have been provided by fake account users on sites that deal with sexual tourism to push potential offenders to the Unforgettable page, where information about the user’s country of origin is saved. The statistical data collected will be invaluable in the continued fight against the rise of sexual tourism through websites and social media.
 

While prostitution is legal in Costa Rica, the promotion of the country as a sex tourism destination is strongly discouraged due to the threat to underage girls. It’s hoped that the stark images of the jail interior, in sharp contrast to the website’s appealing homepage, will be an effective deterrent to sex predators.
 

The 450 local businesses invited to participate in last week’s launch are committed to continue to spread awareness by promoting the link to Unforgettable Costa Rica on their websites and in their interactions with clients. The Costa Rican Car Rental Association (ACAR) are one of the organizations involved in the tourism industry in the country eager to protect the rights of young people through this invaluable campaign.
 

‘I’m a member of the Code of Conduct Assessor Program committee and represent ACAR. For the rent a car agencies, it is part of our work as responsible businesses. It is another commitment, a conviction to do things well and to protect girls, boys and adolescents from whatever type of abuse.’ said Jackelin Lopez Cordero, Mapache Rent a Car.

 

Costa Rica will keep promoting itself as a destination to relax and unwind as part of its Save the Americans publicity campaign to bring North American tourists to the country in search of nature and a stress-free environment, while continuing to protect the most vulnerable members of its population from unwanted guests.
 

See the whole page at: http://unforgettablecostarica.com/en/
 

Posted: November 3rd, 2015