We’ve all heard of people, even friends or acquaintances who have gone off for a few weeks to build a school, or taught English in far-flung places, very often with the good intentions to bring a positive change.

This form of volunteer work is more commonly known as voluntourism—the merging of travel and voluntary work, as part of the products offered by the travel market. Despite the good intentions of travellers to bring about positive change to communities, it is often not well channelled. Besides overall concerns about the impact that such short-term trips by unskilled volunteers have on the welfare of children and the entire communities, some forms of voluntourism and “social trips” pose additional risks to the safety and protection of children.

In this episode of Ending The Silence we delve into the world of voluntourism, why it is harmful to children, and how it increases the risk of child sexual exploitation and abuse? Together with ECPAT member organisations from Sri Lanka and Indonesia, we examine the impacts and risks of unregulated tourism on children, and share what needs to be done to protect children as part of responsible and sustainable tourism development.

Want to learn more?

Read our artile: "How voluntourism may facilitate the sexual exploitation of children. What can be done to protect children?"

Learn more about The Code's Voluntourism Policy

Find out how you can make responsible travel choices while volunteering with children