Malaysia was host to the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) Caucus Meeting where lawmakers from 8 ASEAN nations convened to discuss, debate and endorse proposed legal frameworks on climate change, extremism and terrorism in the region and also to strengthen cooperation to fight sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism. All 8 ASEAN nations, with the exceptions of Indonesia and Thailand who have just concluded their General Elections and are in the midst of forming their Governments, had attended this meaningful and significant meeting to consolidate resources, information and intelligence on these pressing and urgent matters.
I was appointed the Chairperson for the working group on “Strengthening Frameworks To Protect Children From Sexual Exploitation In Travel And Tourism” or SECTT by the Speaker of the House of Representatives or the Dewan Rakyat Datuk Arif bin Yusof and led the discussion on the partnership and participation of Malaysian MPs, across the political divide namely YB Hj Awang bin Hashim (PAS – Pendang) who was appointed Secretary for the Working Group, YB Maria Chin Abdullah (PH – Petaling Jaya) who presented the report on Malaysia and also Senator Lim Hui Ying (PH – Penang) who had contributed to the discussion with lawmakers from Brunei, Cambodia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam. There were also 2 separate presentations by Datuk Dr Raj Karim from the Malaysian Council for Child Welfare and Mr. Robbert van den Berg representing ECPAT International (End Child Prostitution and Trafficking) on our roles as lawmakers in our respective countries and how we can participate actively to form a bastion to protect all children from harm, to defend their rights and to uphold the rule of law in ASEAN. In attendance were also the Parliamentary Research Department, Protocol officers, representatives from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Tourism and Culture and also from the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development.
This idea on protection for children from sexual exploitation in travel and tourism was mooted in Bali, Indonesia in 2017 and further strengthened in Pattaya, Thailand but it was in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia that it received unanimous support and endorsement on the legal checklist on a common framework to be submitted as a resolution at the ASEAN Inter Parliamentary Assembly in August where Bangkok will play host.
It would be an understatement to say that this is an opportune and fitting time for the meeting to have convened in Malaysia as next year is Visit Malaysia Year 2020 and would see an influx of tourists from the region and all over the world, hitting at least 30 million, of which undeniably will also consist of sex predators who will begin strengthening their vile, beastly macabre of network with other predators, preying on children who will be victims of sexual exploitation and abuse.
The working group discussions which were held in accordance with the principles of mutual respect and mutual interest examined key legal interventions to be undertaken in the region in order to stop the impunity of offenders and protect children from SECTT.
All countries agreed upon the legal checklist developed by AIPA through its Project-Based Initiative on “Strengthening Legal Frameworks to Protect Children in Travel and Tourism”, existing regional and international legal frameworks, regional and global trends of SECTT, online elements in SECTT, regional and international cooperation in combatting SECTT, and best practices in legislation, agreeing that the standard of the countries’ legislation should be harmonised to close the gaps in the SECTT issues.
The collaboration among the AIPA Member States is crucial in preventing children from being exploited by child sex offenders in travel and tourism.
In the spirit of ASEAN, the delegates agreed that research and resource sharing across ASEAN region, be it bilateral or multilateral are vitally important not only to ensure early detection of offenders but also to develop effective methods to battle SECTT.
The meeting gave us also a glimpse of the needed amendments in terms of national legislation through various ministries so that arrow slits which will be manipulated by syndicates on child sexual exploitation through prostitution and pornography, be lessened.
This is just the beginning of great things to come to protect all children in the ASEAN region from sexual exploitation especially through travel and tourism.
No country on earth is spared from the demoniac act of child sex predators but as conveyed by Mr. Robbert from ECPAT International citing the INTERPOL – “It takes a network to defeat a network”.
I look forward to the coming 40th AIPA General Assembly in Thailand in August for a fruitful and practical meeting for lawmakers in the ASEAN region to speak in one voice for the nameless, stateless and especially the voiceless children who call our ASEAN home.