Born into an Irish family and growing up in England, Bernadette
migrated to Australia as a teenager. She has held many jobs
in her life, including a psychiatric nurse, waitress,
market researcher, etc. In 1992 Bernadette moved
to Thailand to assist in the formation of the International
campaign to End Child Prostitution, Pornography and
Trafficking (ECPAT). In 1993 she returned to Australia to
establish a ECPAT chapter in Australia which is now
called Child Wise.
When did you first come to Bali and how long have you been
here?
I first traveled to Bali in the late 1980’s and fell
in love with
the island. Since then I have been traveling to Bali for work
and for holidays almost every year.
When and how did you first become concerned about child exploitation?
As far back as the early 1990’s I saw flagrant examples
of child sex tourism in Bali. In 1992 and 2002 I conducted
research which highlighted the existence of child prostitution,
child sex tourism and paedophile networks in Bali.
In what ways is the exploitation of children in Bali different
from child sex tourism in, say, Thailand and Cambodia?
In Bali child sex tourism tends to be more hidden compared
to Thailand and Cambodia. In Bali child sex tourists often
immerse themselves in small communities and beach areas and
keep a low profile.
How do you define “a child”?
Under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, a child is
defined as someone under the age of 18 years.
Aren’t there Indonesian laws already in place to prevent
the sexual abuse and exploitation of children?
There are 14 Indonesian laws which can be used to protect
children from commercial sexual exploitation. Under these
laws a child means every person who has not reached the age
of 18.
What are the easiest ways to make Bali a child-safe tourist
destination?
The most effective way to make Bali a child-safe tourist area
is to openly say No to child sex tourism and for people to
report child abuse to authorities. If the Balinese become
more aware and the police become more vigilant in prosecuting
child sex offenders, then this will definitely go a long way
in preventing child sex tourism in Bali. When travelers arrive
in Bali they should be given information regarding the local
child protection laws and the jail sentences involved if they
are caught abusing local children.
What are the ways in which someone can identify situations
where children may be at risk of exploitation?
From our direct experience working with tourism operators
across the ASEAN region, it’s clear that tourism staff
observe suspicious behaviour on a regular basis. Reports from
tourism staff include:
· Hotel receptionists who
report foreign travelers bringing local children to their
hotel room.
· Taxi and bemo staff
reporting that foreign travelers are asking to travel to locations
where they are able to locate children. Foreign travelers
can also be seen travelling with local children in taxis and
bemo.
· Pool attendants reporting
that foreign travelers have been sighted touching children
inappropriately while in the hotel swimming pool.
· Bell staff reporting
that they’ve been offered bribes to provide information
about the location of brothels where children can be purchased
for sex.
· Café staff reporting
that clients are overly affectionate to children who gather
around popular tourist destinations.
What should one do if one suspects that a child is being sexually
exploited?
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism in Indonesia has established
a hotline telephone number specifically for Bali so that local
citizens and responsible tourists can report suspicious behavior.
The number is: 0361 226 783 (ext 127 Bali).
Can you give any real life stories of anyone you’ve
helped?
Many years ago I met a young girl from Northern Thailand who
had run away from her small village after her mother
sold her to a brothel. I developed a program in this
village with local community workers where we ran programs
to keep the children in school as well as small scale income
generating activities. Within one year the practice of
selling girls to brothels in this village ceased and now that
young girl is a teacher. This is one of many examples.
In Vietnam after we conducted child wise training, two
hotel cleaners reported an Australian to management
who was molesting a young girl in a hotel pool. The
man is now in jail in Australia for this offence.
I can see that Child Wise is active and serious about their
work. Are all your meetings, campaigns, training and awareness
programs actually having an effect?
As a result of our work with governments and communities there
is much more awareness of the problem and now many child sex
offenders have been put in jail safely away from children.
Do you have any future plans?
Child Wise hopes to expand our work in the ASEAN region working
with governments and communities to protect children from
all forms of sexual exploitation.
How can people help and where can one learn more about Child
Wise?
People can help protect children by speaking out about abuse
whether it is carried out by a local or a foreigner. Child
abuse should not be tolerated. People can learn more about
Child Wise by visiting our website at www.childwise.org
For anyone interested in being considered for Siapa, please
contact : <pakbill2003@yahoo.com>
Copyright@2006 Al Hickey
You can read all past articles of Siapa
at www.BaliAdvertiser.biz
