Hotel Arenal Manoa

Ethics Policy against Exploitation and Sexual Tourism

August 2012

Abstract and Legal Framework

The Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism is an initiative of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT) network. This initiative is developed in the countries of touristic origin and destination; it aims to achieve the touristic industry’s participation and compromise in order to discourage and punish children and adolescents’ commercial sexual exploitation associated to travel and tourism.

According to the UNWTO, the main objective of tourism is to contribute to the economic development, the international understanding, the peace, the prosperity, and the universal enforcement and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. Unfortunately, tourism has been used as a way to promote commercial sexual exploitation of people under-age. As a result, the main objectives of tourism are conflicted and their essential purpose is damaged.

Some of the international and national norms and laws that protect people against commercial sexual exploitation and penalize those who encourage this practice are mentioned below:

• The Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by Costa Rica in 1990.
• The Convention 182 concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour adopted by the International Labour Organization in 1999, ratified by Costa Rica in 2001.
• The Stockholm Declaration against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, 1996.
• The Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, adopted by the UNWTO, and the Yokohama Declaration, both ratified by Costa Rica in 2001.
• The Constitution of the Republic of Costa Rica, 1949.
• The Childhood and Adolescense Code (Código de la Niñez y la Adolescencia), 1998.
• Law against Sexual Exploitation of Underage Persons, 1999, and its reform, 2007.

Implementation of the Policy

Arenal Manoa Hotel, as a socially responsible company that ensures the best interest of the Costa Rican society, especially of children, has recently signed an internal Code of Conduct for the protection of children and adolescents from commercial sexual exploitation in travels and tourism. By signing this policy, Arenal Manoa Hotel reassures its compromise to initiatives against commercial sexual exploitation of children, adolescents, and adults.

In this way, all the employees of the Arenal Manoa Hotel undertake to act as preventive agents of this issue; their main interest is the people affected by it. Hence, each of the hotel’s employees will report to the Operations Department or Management any suspicious activity inside the hotel. The situations mentioned below will also be evaluated and investigated:

• The presence of additional people who are not included in the reservation and try to check in.
• The presence of people who were not registered inside the hotel.
• The presence of additional people who are not included in the reservation and try to check in when the front desk has closed: In this case, the additional people will not be allowed to check in. The Department of Security will stop them and make a report about the situation to the hotel’s emergency phone.
• The presence of guests who look suspicious of commercial sexual exploitation during the check-in or the stay: They will be reported to the employees’ chiefs immediately. Then, the case will be investigated and evaluated in order to make a decision regarding the issue.

The employees have the obligation to report, investigate and make decisions in regards to any of the situations explained above. If any of the reports is confirmed, Arenal Manoa Hotel will proceed to report and transfer the case to the corresponding authorities. All the hotel’s suppliers or trading partners of hosting services will be informed about the hotel’s policy since each contract signed by Sales Management will have a clause about it. The objective of this is to avoid contractual situations related to decisions regarding this topic.

As the Manager of this company, it is a pleasure to share our position in regards to the Ethics Policy against Exploitation and Sexual Tourism with all the employees and business partners of the Arenal Manoa Hotel. This position reinforces the values of the company.
Sincerely,

Alexander Cedeño García
General Manager
Hotel Arenal Manoa