ChildSafe travel & tourism

As a responsible travel provider we strive to embed ethical values throughout not just our tours but our day-to-day operations as a business. One issue we are particularly passionate about in the realm of responsible tourism, is the prevention of exploitation of children.

We are proud to support and partner with the inspirational ChildSafe Network delivered by the international NGO Friends International. ChildSafe is a multi-layered approach to protect vulnerable children. For the tourism industry, they work with both visitors (through their 7 Tips which we advocate in all our Pre-Departure materials) and businesses. ChildSafe facilitators provide training to tourism businesses on ways to identify possible exploitation of children and how to respond if they see a child in danger.

Our team, including office staff, guides, and drivers, recently took part in the ChildSafe tourism business training to strengthen their understanding of child safety. We feel this is particularly important for our staff for two reasons. Firstly, we provide Educational Journeys for foreign students visiting Cambodia, and the safety of these young guests is our priority. Secondly, Cambodia is a developing country and the exploitation of children is still evident in places we may visit, and we want to be active members of the community to prevent this.

Sambath, one of our guides, shares his experience from the training:

I really have leaned a lot from this training, and I have a clearer understanding about how to be a responsible adult to protect children. When I was a kid there were many situations… I saw much violence and I had no one I could talk to about it. I want to see children get taken care of and feel safe and get a bright future. It’s mean a lot for me. Adult have to take responsibility for children! I am excited to get this training and be part of a growing network of people passionate about child protection – drivers, hotels and other partners. I feel empowered about how to be an active member in my community to ensure children continue their studies and are protected.

Ayana Journeys is a proud ChildSafe Certified Member. All current team members have received this crucial training and understand our company’s commitment to protecting children together.