Claiming the Right to Say No-30 Nov 09-EQUATIONS - Equitable ...

Claiming the Right to Say No
1.2 Women and Children: Cry for Dignity and Affirmation
No doubt, tourism has brought jewellery for some women, but to others it
has turned out to be a disaster. Although advancement for women and the
achievement for equality between woman and man is a matter of human
right and a condition for social justice, Vivian and Derek (1996), found
that tourism involves processes which are constructed out of complex and
varied social realities and relations that are often hierarchical and unequal.
International Labour Organization published a report highlighting a high
level stress, violence and sexual harassment in hotels catering and
tourism. Tourism is said to be the modernized form of development where
trafficking of women is common. “Tourism has given the sex industry new
means of exploitation, marketing and supplying women and children to
buyers”.
If tourism feeds one, it catches the throat of the other. “If a father leaves a
traditional job, all the other members of the family involved in the work,
also have to search for an alternative which leads to child labour. “People
shift from their traditional occupation to those provided by the advent of
tourism into the area. This has serious ramifications for children because
there is a direct change in their work and occupation pattern for participating
in the family activity, to other, more demanding and exploitative form of
earning a living”.
Family and community structure play a very crucial role in forming the
life of the individual. If the structure breaks, it breaks the glasses of human
life. “A very frightening effect of alienation from traditional occupation
perhaps is a consequent breakdown of the community structure”.
Sexual exploitation is a most degrading moment in the life of an individual,
more so for minors in the background of tourism. “Sexual exploitation of
minors in tourism is a global phenomenon that affects both tourist sending
and receiving nations. It occurs in many ways, including child
pornography, trafficking etc”.
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