MYANMAR was in a strong position to avoid child abuse tourism because of its close family structures and the gradual development of its tourist industry, an Australian specialist on the issue said in Yangon earlier this month.

“I think Myanmar has maintained its family structures quite well. My impression is that there is more protection for children than in any other country in Asia,” said Ms Anneka Farrington, a trainer with Child Wise, an Australian non-government organisation which helps governments and private sector tourism bodies to develop programs aimed at protecting children from abuse.

Myanmar’s ability to plan the growth of its tourism was also an advantage, said Ms Farrington.

She said tourism had expanded so rapidly in some other countries that it had produced negative consequences.

Ms Farrington was speaking on the sidelines of a training workshop organised by the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism in collaboration with Child Wise to raise awareness about the issue.

The event was arranged as part of the opening round of a two-year project by Child Wise Tourism, a program of Child Wise, under which workshops will be held in Myanmar and six other Southeast Asian countries – Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Laos.

The workshop, at the Grand Plaza Parkroyal Hotel on July 5, was attended by more than 60 people, including officials from the ministries of Hotels and Tourism, Education, and Home Affairs, the departments of Social Welfare and Immigration and National Registration, and representatives from the Union of Myanmar Travel Association, Myanmar Hotelier Association and the Maternal and Child Welfare Association.

Ms Farrington acknowledged that while tourism brought many benefits, it could lead to problems involving child abuse by tourists.

The problems, which include child prostitution, child pornography and the trafficking of children for sexual purposes, occurred in other Asian countries and Myanmar needed to be aware of them, she said.

Ms Farrington said there had been no reports of child abuse by tourists in Myanmar.

But as the tourism industry was growing, Myanmar needed to be vigilant to ensure that tourists did not visit to exploit children.

“If Myanmar wants its tourism to be sustainable and responsible, we need to protect children just like we need to protect the environment and cultural heritage,” Ms Farrington said.

She welcomed the response from participants at the workshop, saying they had been determined to prevent the problem arising in the country.