Regulating Voluntourism – Resource Hub
Welcome to the Regulating Voluntourism Resource Hub!
This page aims to support your actions and efforts to address the risks and harmful impacts on children worldwide.
In this hub, professional and regulated volunteering is distinguished from voluntourism which refers to products offered through the travel market usually for unskilled volunteers that pay companies, or other entities to travel and work in distant communities, as an attractive alternative to mass tourism.
Although volunteers may have good intentions, such trips may negatively affect the well-being of children, with certain forms of voluntourism posing additional risks to their safety by providing avenues for offenders to groom, access, and sexually exploit children.
There is a need to regulate the use of volunteers in all settings with direct contact with children, to ensure that children are protected and that any activities serve the best interest of the child.
On this page, you will find resources, case studies and videos from partner organisations, and communications materials developed specifically to help you activate this topic in your country or region.
For any questions, please contact us at communications@ecpat.org.
Upcoming Events
Duty of Care and Child Protection in Volunteering and Voluntourism
16 September 2025
Annual Conference of International Volunteer Cooperation Organisations (IVCO)
Siem Reap, Cambodia
In this session, ECPAT International will present key findings from the Global Case Study How to Regulate the issue of Voluntourism with Children, highlighting actionable models from both sending and destination countries to protect children and prevent harm.
The session will also explore the revised Global Volunteering Standard, with a special focus on updated Duty of Care guidance for organisations working with volunteers. These discussions will offer practical insights to strengthen child protection in volunteering and voluntourism.
Click here to learn more.
Past Events and Webinars
Resources
Access key resources including country reports, case studies, and more. Let us know if you have promising practices to share from your country to be part of change!
How to regulate the issue of voluntourism with children
Based on actionable models and experiences from selected origin and destination countries, with a technical brief to guide action across countries and regions.
Global call for robust child protection structures in travel and tourism
Taking action following the two Global Events organised around the UN General Assembly 2023 in New York
The Netherlands – Regulating voluntourism as part of child protection standards for the travel and tourism industry
ECPAT International, Defence for Children – ECPAT Netherlands, Better Care Network Netherlands
Communications Materials
Social media plays a powerful role in generating awareness and interest on the issue of voluntourism, for both tourists as well as travel and tourism operators. We have prepared the following materials to help you get started on your journey of making the tourism responsible and safe for children:
- Canva Graphic Templates: Editable graphics that can be adjusted to reflect your key advocacy messages.
- Social Media Pack: A social media pack containing graphics and suggested social media copies that can be immediately published to your pages.
Video Contributions
Tune in to video contributions from ECPAT members and partners from ECPAT’s Regional Workshops on Collective Action to End Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.
These interviews showcase the risks associated with unregulated voluntourism across various countries, and how children can be protected from sexual exploitation in travel and tourism.
Interested in being part of the global movement to make tourism safe for children? Contact us to submit your video contribution.
Partner Actions
Read more about the critical work ECPAT partners and members are undertaking to regulate the issue of voluntourism in their respective countries and regions—Coming soon!