Justice and Human Rights Uruguay Project #15915

Adolescents against sexual exploitation

by Juventud para Cristo

Project Report | Jul 8, 2014
Final Report: An Abuse-Free Uruguay Movement

By Nicolas Iglesias | Project Coordinator

Youth Promoters

Final Report: “An Abuse-Free Uruguay Movement”

April 2013 to March 2014

AN ABUSE-FREE URUGUAY MOVEMENT

The “Abuse-Free Uruguay Movement” is a grass-roots effort of touristic communities, young adults and teenagers, civil society, businesses and the government as a preventative strategy in the face of human rights abuses. The different persons involved, including youth protagonists, tourism business owners, and tourists, have positively evaluated the project to raise awareness of commercial sexual exploitation of children and youth.

PARTNERSHIPS & INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT
In the first stage, the Abuse-Free Uruguay Movement forged partnerships and received support for the project from 10 governmental organizations, 4 educational institutions, 11 businesses, and 4 press and media groups and 7 well-known Uruguayan musicians and artists. The participation of the educational institutions was fundamental to generate youth volunteer participation. An open-call was made through social media, websites and educational institutions. A group of 110 youth volunteers was formed with diverse socio-economic backgrounds and a rich variety of life paths. The group was made up of: tourism students, recreation students, street artists, musicians, religious youth leaders, leaders from the LGBT community, university students and other youth volunteers.

TRAINING YOUTH PROMOTERS
The second stage of the campaign included training in the prevention of commercial sexual exploitation of children and youth and the promotion of fair and caring interactions. Five workshops were carried out in each department between October and November by a specialized technical support team.

The youth promoters of “An Abuse-Free Uruguay Movement” received theoretical and experiential training, which favored behavior changes on a personal level and gave them tools to strengthen their community. The campaign places them in the center of the process, recognizing their abilities, which has positive repercussions in their self-esteem. They feel that their ideas and opinions are heard and respected, which allows them to express their feelings and the problems that are affecting them, at the same time realizing the importance of respect for others.

The topics discussed in the workshops are: commercial sexual exploitation of children and youth, responsible tourism, youth participation, artistic interventions and strengthening the community in order to prevent violence.

Youth promoter testimony

“I’m motivated to participate in the campaign because it opens many doors, for the possibility to put into practice these new tools. Contact with tourists is really important to me because my high school specialization is in Tourism.” –Sebastián Pacifico (Colonia)

RAISING AWARENESS

The third stage included public awareness activities, where the youth promoters spoke directly with tourists. The Movement started to raise awareness with both local and national kick-offs. Local officials, governmental and private associates, media and the general public are invited to participate in these events. The kick-offs were very important opportunities for group consolidation, participation, make visible their opinions, put into practice their knowledge and to receive their training diplomas from the authorities.

Public awareness activities included over seven activities in each department between the months of December and March, where youth handed out to tourists “Passports to an Abuse-Free Uruguay” and a brochure-map, with practical ways to better treat children and adolescents in our country as well as in their country of origin.

The message of the “Abuse-Free Uruguay Movement” was spread in three languages (Spanish, Portuguese and English). The central message of the campaign was “We are building an abuse-free country”. The complementary messages were “Uruguay protects its children and adolescents from commercial sexual exploitation. Join us!” Concrete information was provided to report maltreatment, abuse and commercial sexual exploitation.

Tourist testimony:

“This campaign is very important (…) because Uruguay as a country has been noted for it’s fair and caring interactions, for having free public education, solidarity, and consideration toward others. These values have been in decline, that’s why this campaign is so important– so that Uruguay can maintain this character. In Chile, it would be fundamental to be able to recover what we have already lost. (…) I believe that these concerns of values and principles have to be grounded. The ideas are spread through words, but they are proved through acts. Through your works you will be known.”–Patricio Santamaria (ciudadano Chileno en Punta del Este)

MEDIA

Media tools were developed, such as television commercials that included youth participation and artists such as León Gieco, Daniel Drexler, Tabaré y Yamandú Cardozo, Samanta Navarro, Pitufo Lombardo and Cristina Moran. Radio commercials included Ricardo “Sueco” Leiva and journalist María Ines Obaldía.

These tools were spread through the media such as radio, television and social networks.

2 Billboards on prominent highways near tourist destinations
Commercials on screens in the Carrasco International Airport, shopping malls, main streets and in the Montevideo Port
TV commercials shown from October to February on two national channels
Radio commercial repeated 48 times daily from December to March
Promotion on social networks with 2700 “likes” and 300,000 views and on associate’s websites with over 5,000 visits daily.
Presence in printed materials such as tourist magazines and newspapers.

REFLECTIONS FROM THE MOVEMENT

Networking has been the key to the success of the “Abuse-Free Uruguay Movement”. It is important to include the participation of diverse public and private actors. It is fundamental to influence and raise awareness on four levels:

Local communities which receive tourists
Businesses and tourism operators
Local government
Educational institutions which offer technical degrees in tourism

For future campaigns, it is important to seek greater visibility of the problem through messages that tourists receive and in society as a whole, because we need everyone to collaborate. This is what makes possible the prevention, detection and reporting of commercial sexual exploitation of children and adolescents. It is also important to include departments such as Paysandú and Salto, which are linked to hot springs tourism.

PERSPECTIVES

The problem of commercial sexual exploitation of children and adolescents is a topic that is becoming more and more visible. A series of cases have been made public as well as the presence of exploitation networks in our country.

Government efforts that seek commitment from tourism operators regarding the problem have little by little generated an effect. A declaration from the Minister of Tourism has also created more attention on the problem and shown commitment on government’s part. This creates a favorable context to continue deepening this work among the civil society, educational institutions, businesses and public figures.

Considering this favorable context, the results obtained from the 2013-2014 campaign, the evaluations of the tourism operators, volunteers, educational institutions and government officials, we believe that it is necessary to continue and deepen the work started by the “Abuse-Free Uruguay Movement”.

CONTINUE FOLLOWING OUR WORK

www.buentrato.org.uy/

Facebook: Uruguay Pais de Buentrato

Raising Awareness with Tourists

Banner

Media promotion

Television commercial

Links:

Attachments:

Final Report (DOCX)

6 Attachments

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Mar 28, 2014
2nd Year Promoting an "Abuse-free Uruguay"

By Abby Anderson | Member of Leadership Team

Advertisements in public places

Violence against children and adolescents is a reality present in all societies and is manifest in a variety of ways. According to World Health Organization statistics, 40 million people under the age of 14 suffer from some type of mistreatment that requires medical and/or social attention. This violence takes on many forms, including commercial sexual exploitation. Hundreds of millions of people travel each year, many to explore, learn, and experience new things. Some, however, have distorted this practice and exploit children and adolescents. This is a direct violation of the law, and demands a societal response.

The “Abuse-free Uruguay” Movement is a direct response to this reality, promoting healthy interactions and encouraging tourists to protect and not exploit children and adolescents while traveling. The Movement, which completed its second year in March 2014, was successful and transformative for the adolescents that led the movement, tourists, businesses, and the society at large.

The steps involved in the “Abuse-free Uruguay Movement” are as follows:

Look for supportfor the Movement from the government, educational organizations, private businesses, media resources, and adolescent and young adult volunteers (110 this year)
Provide trainingfor the prevention of commercial sexual exploitation and the promotion of healthy interactions (5 workshops given to the volunteer group)
Carry out advocacy activitiesin the public sphere, talking directly with the tourists as they enter the country and in tourist-frequented locations and offering them the published material (7 activities with tourists)

This movement has a widespread impact because of its hands-on and multifaceted approach and involvement of many subsets of society. The message of protecting children reaches adolescent volunteers that promote the movement, the personnel that work in the tourist industry, the media networks that donate publicity to the movement, well-known artists that express their support, society at large through media coverage, and the tourists who are given tips for how to protect children’s rights while traveling. The project is unique in its capacity to bring together people from different sectors of society to work collaboratively for the good of the society at large.

“I believe this movement is very important (…) because Uruguay in the last several years has been recognized for its just treatment of all people, free education, solidarity, and concern for the wellbeing of all people. These are values that are being lost, and so it is essential in order for Uruguay to maintain these values it represents and in Chile it would beneficial so that we could rebuild what has been lost (…). I believe that these topics that have to do with values and principles have to be put into concrete terms, just as the Movement does. Ideas are spread with words but only take hold with actions, and who we are is demonstrated by what we do.”

Patricio Santamaria, Chilean tourist

The movement continues to have a strong presence throughout the capital city of Montevideo through different publicity tools and large billboards. Currently, the movement´s message and logo are displayed for hundreds of thousands of viewers on the main road in downtown (Avenida Italia), in the central bus station (Tres Cruces), in the airport, on the main freeway to the coastal cities, in the main port, and in other prominent places. The Facebook page also continues to be a central tool in speading the message, and was viewed over 44 thousand time over the course of the past month.

“I am motivated to participate in this movement because it is directed at the prevention of commercial sexual exploitation of children and adolescents and I was an abused child. It is important that people recognize that these things do happen, and closer to them than they think.”

Leader of the Trans Group in Maldonado, Uruguay

Creating awareness among children, families, those who work with the tourist industry, and among society as a whole is the first step to protecting children against violence. The “Abuse-free Uruguay Movement” is making strides in this work, but there is still work to be done. Join us in making this world a safer, healthier world.

Vonlunteers asking tourists to join the movement

Core volunteer group at a press conference

Famous supporters of the movement

Links:

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