The Child Protection Alliance is committed to lobbying Government for the development of a National Plan of Action on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC). Specifically, the occurrence of child sex tourism has received a lot of media attention in The Gambia.
Before an effective Plan of Action can be developed, however, data is required to provide an accurate picture of what is really happening in The Gambia. The Gambian Government, in collaboration with UNICEF, commissioned a Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Study in early 2002. This study, which is scheduled for release in 2003, will be used to plan appropriate services to exploited children.
Additionally, the CPA and Terre des Hommes Netherlands launched a report in early February 2003 entitled "Gambia: the Smiling Coast!" A Study of Child Sex Tourism in The Gambia and the Involvement of Dutch Tourists. The Report sheds, for the first time, some light onto this unacceptable side of tourism, providing evidence and some quantification of the incidence of child sexual abuse in the region. You can link to a PDF version of the Report here.
Early finding from the study indicate that there are tourists coming to The Gambia to sexually exploit children. The Child Protection Alliance is concerned at this development and encourages any visitors who see what they might consider exploitative or abusive incidents to report them to the CPA Office, the Police or the Department of Social Welfare.