Code of Conduct

We, the company Costa Rica Sun Tours

Considering that exploitation of human beings, in any form, especially sexual exploitation, and particularly when it affects children, violates the fundamental objectives of tourism, and constitutes a denial of its essence.

Supported by international instruments such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by Costa Rica in 1990; Convention 182 on the Prohibition of the Worst Forms of Child Labor of the International Labor Organization, ratified by Costa Rica in 2001; The Stockholm Declaration against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, 1996; The World Tourism Organization’s Code of Ethics for Tourism and the 2001 Yokohama Declaration; and

In compliance with the legal provisions that underpin the obligation of the Costa Rican State and all its citizens to guarantee the protection and fulfillment of the rights of minors living in its territory, such as the Political Constitution of the Republic of 1949 , The Children and Adolescents Code of 1998, the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Minors Act of 1999 and the 2007 reform and other related laws; And acting with the full endorsement of our Board of Directors and body of workers that conform, formally declare that:

WE REJECT the commercial sexual exploitation of children and adolescents in Costa Rica and in the world, in general and in particular in their travel and tourism modality, as a behavior that damages the fundamental rights of these persons and which is in any way contrary to the intrinsic objectives of the tourist activity, which are, to promote peace, human rights, mutual understanding, respect for all peoples and cultures, and sustainable development,

WE DENOUNCE AND CONDEMN those who use the tourist activity and facilities and services offered to promote, facilitate or tolerate the occurrence of commercial sexual exploitation of children and adolescents; And in view of the above

We resolve:

To sign the CODE OF CONDUCT FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN AGAINST COMMERCIAL SEXUAL EXPLOITATION IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM, this shall be governed by the following clauses:

Article 1. The present Code is a formal declaration of free adhesion whose purpose is to establish the rules of conduct for all persons working in the Costa Rica Sun Tours company, aimed at protecting children and adolescents from Sexual Exploitation Commercial associated with travel and tourism. This Code does not represent nor can be invoked as an endorsement by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute of the activities developed and to be developed by the company

Article 2. For all purposes of this Code we adopt the following definitions:

MINOR PERSON: a minor is understood to mean a person who has not reached the age of eighteen, according to the Code of Children and Adolescents, Law 7739.

COMMERCIAL SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS IS A VIOLATION OF THE RIGHTS OF CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS: A form of abuse that implies not only the sexual victimization of a minor person on the part of another, but the obtaining of remuneration in money or in kind as a product of this victimization; A contemporary form of slavery; And an income-generating activity that is forced and harmful to society and to the tourism sector. It includes prostitution, trafficking and pornography involving minors.

SEXUAL TOURISM: is the sexual exploitation of minors in their country of residence by foreigners who visit the country as travelers or tourists. Includes the promotion of the country as an accessible point for the unpunished exercise of this activity, by nationals or foreigners.

Article 3: Under this Code, the persons, who form the Costa Rica Sun Tours Company, undertake to take appropriate measures to protect minors from commercial sexual exploitation associated with travel and tourism, for which purpose

1. We will publish an ethical policy stating the company’s rejection position regarding the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents.
2. We will train company personnel to know and conduct themselves in accordance with the practices and policies adopted by this Company for the protection of children against commercial sexual exploitation; And for the appropriate management of situations of this nature that are presented to them in the exercise of work. The workers of the company will act as preventive agents of this problem, having as a guiding principle the interest of the affected minors.
3. We will inform by placing external symbols to our clients and suppliers about our position of rejection of commercial sexual exploitation of underage persons.
4. We will present an annual report to the Costa Rican Tourism Institute as a governing body in this area, with a copy to the Paniamor Foundation as Technical Secretariat of the Code of Conduct and national representative of The Code.org, containing a report of the actions that the company has done in this field.