On 12 May 2016, the Global Study on Sexual Exploitation of Children in Travel and Tourism was launched in Bangkok, Washington DC, and Stellenbosch. In Bangkok, ECPAT International hosted a media event at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand. The event was moderated by Damien Brosnan, Programme Manager of The Code, and the panel (see photo above) included His Excellency, the Ambassador of the Netherlands Mr. K.J. Hartogh, Dorothy Rozga, Executive Director, ECPAT International, Robert Abrams, Deputy Attaché, Homeland Security Investigations, US Embassy in Bangkok, Patrick Basset, COO Upper Southeast and Northeast Asia, AccorHotels, Seila Samleang, Director, APLE Cambodia and Stephen Blight, Regional Adviser for Children Protection for East Asia and Pacific, Unicef.
In Washington DC, the launch took place on Capitol Hill under the leadership of ECPAT USA. US Congressman Chris Smith, Senator Richard Shelby and Senator Bob Corker joined the event. In Stellenbosch the launch was hosted by ECPAT Member Child Welfare South Africa.
On the following day, Milena Grillo of Paniamor (ECPAT Costa Rica) together with the Costa Rican Mission to the United Nations and Marta Santos Pais, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General on Violence against Children hosted in New York City a briefing about the Global Study.
