[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-1-en-105":3,"doc-seo-283571-105":53,"doc-detail-283571-en":127},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,14,19,24,29,34,39,44,49],{"id":8,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":11,"show_sort_weight":12,"slug":13},11,1,"Template","Presentations",90,"presentations",{"id":15,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":16,"show_sort_weight":17,"slug":18},12,"Resumes",80,"resumes",{"id":20,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":21,"show_sort_weight":22,"slug":23},14,"Invoices",70,"invoices",{"id":25,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":26,"show_sort_weight":27,"slug":28},15,"Posters",60,"posters",{"id":30,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":31,"show_sort_weight":32,"slug":33},16,"Social Media",50,"social-media",{"id":35,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":36,"show_sort_weight":37,"slug":38},17,"Forms",40,"forms",{"id":40,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":41,"show_sort_weight":42,"slug":43},18,"Letters",30,"letters",{"id":45,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":46,"show_sort_weight":47,"slug":48},21,"Paper Templates",5,"papers-templates",{"id":50,"doc_module":9,"doc_module_name":10,"category_name":51,"show_sort_weight":4,"slug":52},158,"General","general-158",{"code":4,"msg":54,"data":55},"ok",{"site_id":56,"language":57,"slug":58,"title":59,"keywords":60,"description":61,"schema_data":62,"social_meta":120,"head_meta":122,"extra_data":124,"updated_unix":126},105,"en","the-code-voluntourism-policy-guidelines","The Code Voluntourism Policy - Guidelines","","The Code Voluntourism Policy sets out responsible and safe requirements for voluntourism within sustainable travel and tourism. It addresses child protection risks linked to orphanage-related activities, including harm caused by institutionalisation and dangers from un-vetted access to children that can lead to trafficking and sexual exploitation. The policy supports deinstitutionalisation toward foster and family-based care, while strengthening social services to identify children at risk, and it provides selection criteria and guidance for potential and current member organisations.",{"@graph":63,"@context":119},[64,80,102],{"@type":65,"itemListElement":66},"BreadcrumbList",[67,71,74,77],{"item":68,"name":69,"@type":70,"position":9},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":72,"name":10,"@type":70,"position":73},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/",2,{"item":75,"name":41,"@type":70,"position":76},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/letters/",3,{"item":78,"name":59,"@type":70,"position":79},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/the-code-voluntourism-policy-guidelines/283571/",4,{"url":78,"name":59,"@type":81,"image":82,"author":87,"headline":59,"publisher":90,"fileFormat":93,"inLanguage":57,"description":61,"dateModified":94,"datePublished":95,"encodingFormat":93,"isAccessibleForFree":96,"interactionStatistic":97},"DigitalDocument",{"url":83,"@type":84,"width":85,"height":86},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/the-code-voluntourism-policy-guidelines/283571.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":88,"@type":89},"Riley West","Person",{"url":68,"name":91,"@type":92},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-19","2026-09-17",true,{"@type":98,"interactionType":99,"userInteractionCount":101},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":100},"ViewAction",10,{"@type":103,"mainEntity":104},"FAQPage",[105,111,115],{"name":106,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":108},"Why does The Code require excluding orphanage visits from tourism packages?","Question",{"text":109,"@type":110},"Orphanage visits can drive institutionalisation, which harms children. Without regulation and care, some voluntourism formats allow un-vetted access that puts children at risk.","Answer",{"name":112,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":113},"How does the policy define voluntourism?",{"text":114,"@type":110},"Within these guidelines, voluntourism is organised and packaged tourist trips from a few hours to a year where the main purpose is volunteering and the volunteer’s work is provided free of charge to the destination.",{"name":116,"@type":107,"acceptedAnswer":117},"Who is the policy intended to guide?",{"text":118,"@type":110},"The Secretariat of The Code and Local Code Representatives evaluate membership applications. It also serves potential members and other organisations seeking to protect children.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":78,"og:type":121,"og:title":59,"og:site_name":91,"og:description":61},"article",{"robots":123,"canonical":78},"index,follow",{"doc_id":125,"site_id":56},283571,1790660495,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":128},{"doc_id":125,"user_id":129,"nickname":88,"user_avatar":130,"doc_module":9,"category_id":40,"category_name":41,"doc_title":59,"doc_description":61,"doc_content":131,"file_id":132,"file_url":133,"file_type":134,"file_size":135,"view_count":101,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":9,"is_downloadable":9,"audit_status":9,"page_count":136,"language":137,"language_code":57,"site_id":56,"html_lang":57,"table_of_contents":138,"faqs":139,"seo_title":140,"seo_description":61,"update_tm":141,"read_time":142},1099523885074,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_9964176cb1d06d4a9deccf72a44ae3dc","The Code  \nVoluntourism Policy  \nDoes your business include voluntourism products with children or visits to orphanges in its tourism programs?  \nFor more information visit us at [www.thecode.org](www.thecode.org) [and](and www.ecpat.org)[ www.ecpat.org](and www.ecpat.org)  \nThe Code Voluntourism Policy  \nAs part of sustainable and responsible travel and tourism development, the industry must ensure that only responsible and safe forms of voluntourism are undertaken.  \nCompanies should exclude visits to orphanages from tourism packages as it drives institutionalisation which causes harm to children. Without regulation and care, some forms of voluntourism allow un-vetted access to children that puts them at risk of being trafficked and sexually exploited.  \nTo address this issue, The Code developed a voluntourism policy for its current and prospective members, in addition to its main six criteria to protect children.1  \n1 When companies join The Code they commit to six essential steps to keep children safe.  \n1  \nThe Code Policy outlines criteria and provides guidelines for:  \nOrganisations interested in membership of The Code  \nOrganisations offering voluntourism products, or considering offering such products  \nOrganisations currently involved in orphanage activities as a tourist attraction  \nThis policy outlines the risks of various forms of voluntourism, includingthe critical risks noted in orphanage-related activities2 in relation to child protection, and states the criteria by which organisations (private commercial companies, social enterprises and charities) may apply to join The Code. This document is mainly intended for use by the Secretariat of The Code and Local Code Representatives (LCRs) when assessing a membership application, and as a guide to potential Code members outlining the conditions under which they can be considered for membership. This document can be also used by other organisations and entities, to protect children.  \n2 The Code supports efforts of organisations advocating for deinstitutionalisation of child care systems, towards foster care and other family-based care models, while strengthening the capacity of social services to identify children that are at risk of being abandoned or separated from their families. More [at:](at: www.bettercarenetwork.org)[ ](at: www.bettercarenetwork.org)[www.bettercarenetwork.org](at: www.bettercarenetwork.org)  \nThe document is divided in five parts:  \nDefinition and scope  \nRisks of voluntourism in relation to child protection  \nSelection criteria for new members of The Code  \nCriteria related to voluntourism  \nAdditional materials and resources  \n1 Definition and scope  \nThe term ‘volunteer tourism’ or ‘voluntourism’ is used in many ways. Therefore, definition and delimitation of scope is necessary.  \nThe travel and tourism industry proposes a variety of possibilities includingthe dimension of ‘doing something good and meaningful at the same time’. While volunteering is a valuable way to contribute to society that can bring positive benefits to both the community and the volunteer, certain forms of voluntourism have been shown to have a range of harmful consequences, including increasing the risk of child sexual abuse and exploitation.3  \nThe diversity of packages and customer behaviour varies and keeps evolving. For example, it may be the ‘consumerist’ way of booking a two-week trip teaching English to children in Bolivia, where the customer takes annual leave ‘with a special touch to it’ and with a departure possible at short notice. It may also be a ’local village tour’ for example in Cambodia, stopping for a couple of hours at a local orphanage to practice English, help with arts or sports activities and take pictures. Alternatively, it may be the long thought-out process of preparing, via a volunteering agency, a nine-month volunteering commitment helping a local NGO in organising extracurricular sporting activities for public school-going children, for e","cbCaih5pzfCeuQTT","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaih5pzfCeuQTT","pdf",305016,20,"English","# Definition and scope\n## Risks of voluntourism in relation to child protection\n## Selection criteria for new members of The Code\n## Criteria related to voluntourism\n## Additional materials and resources","[{\"question\":\"Why does The Code require excluding orphanage visits from tourism packages?\",\"answer\":\"Orphanage visits can drive institutionalisation, which harms children. Without regulation and care, some voluntourism formats allow un-vetted access that puts children at risk.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the policy define voluntourism?\",\"answer\":\"Within these guidelines, voluntourism is organised and packaged tourist trips from a few hours to a year where the main purpose is volunteering and the volunteer’s work is provided free of charge to the destination.\"},{\"question\":\"Who is the policy intended to guide?\",\"answer\":\"The Secretariat of The Code and Local Code Representatives evaluate membership applications. It also serves potential members and other organisations seeking to protect children.\"}]","The Code Voluntourism Policy - Guidelines | PDF",1789613036,7]