The IBCR launches the first Canadian campaign against sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism: click-here
The IBCR is responsible for the first Canadian campaign against the sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism, which was officially launched November 18th, 2010, at the Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau International Airport in Montréal (Quebec).
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With the goal to raise awareness among key actors of the tourism sector and Canadian travellers about the principal manifestations and legal and social consequences of child sex tourism, the IBCR progressively built a coalition to launch the campaign, mainly through three forums.
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Following a successful first forum in December 2009, that had led representatives of the tourism sector to take part in the fight against the sexual exploitation of children in Canada and abroad – including the creation of a free of charge online campaign in early 2010, the IBCR has tried to increase its ability to combat CST by uniting its forces with other Canadian organisations working for prevention of sexual exploitation of children: OneChild, Plan Canada and UNICEF Canada. These organisations put together their ideas, knowledge and resources during a second forum in Toronto, Ontario, on 24 September 2010, which has reaffirmed the priority of public awareness to CST and the extent of its consequences. The forum was an occasion for the IBCR to disclose to travel agencies and tour operators its new national campaign to discourage potential criminals.
The official launch of the Canadian campaign against child sex tourism was organised with our partners OneChild and Plan Canada, with the participation of the Sûreté du Québec, of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal and the Canadian Border Services Agency.
The campaign was launched on November 20th, the International Day of children’s Rights, giving it extensive media coverage through newspaper, radio and television.
It was the first time that private actors (Air Canada and Montreal’s airport), governmental organisations (Canadian border Services Agency, Service de police de la Ville de Montréal and Sûreté du Québec), and non governmental organisations (IBCR, Plan Canada and OneChild, with the support of UNICEF Canada) participated together in a national effort and collaborated to such an initiative, for which the goals were to:
1. Educate travellers before they leave, especially those travelling to Latin American or Caribbean countries, the main tourist destinations for Eastern Canada.
Our duty to report a child in danger does not stop at the Canadian border!
2. Publicise the existence of extra-territorial laws and thereby strengthen the action undertaken by the Canadian government to implement these laws to combat sexual exploitation of children.
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The Campaign included posters designed pro bono by BCP, a Montreal advertising agency, and the Photography agency Shoot Studio.
The posters were exhibited between December 2010 and March 2011 (high season for tourism) at the Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport in Montréal and the Jean-Lesage international Airport in Québec. The posters were strategically located in the International departures areas where people travelling to Africa, South East Asia and Latin America would be guaranteed to see them. Air Canada also featured our campaign in its March 2011 publication of En route magazine, which can be found on their aircrafts.
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« The Code », an international recognition of the IBCR 
Established by UNICEF and supported by the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), the Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism (commonly referred to as « the Code ») is an initiative by the private sector in responsible tourism set up in collaboration with ECPAT International.
The IBCR is now the proud Canadian representative of the « Code », which has for objective the integration of the child sex tourism component in the social responsibility policies of the tourism industry.
