PAPERS
On clicking a Title, you can read online and download the respective Paper. You can sort the Papers across each of the two filters available (Year and Thematic Area) or use combinations of the filters. Presently, Papers from the year 2006 to 2009 are available.
Please do acknowledge EQUATIONS when quoting from or using these Papers in any manner.
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Protecting Children in Tourism - A Shared Responsibility 
August, 2010
In June 2010, KUONI in collaboration with EQUATIONS organized follow up workshops both in Kerala and Goa and invited management representatives of its hotel partners. The initial workshops in 2009 aimed to sensitise KUONI’s’ hotel partners about child sex tourism worldwide and in India. The workshops provided the hotel partners with information and the role the industry could play to combat this issue of sexual exploitation of children in tourism. The aim of the follow-up workshops in 2010 was to help the hotel partners of Kuoni to implement comprehensive measures for child protection within their operations. Furthermore, hotel partners of KUONI are encouraged to sign the child protection code “The Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism” (www.thecode.org) within a year.
Kerala Tourism (Conservation and Preservation of Areas) Act - Concerns Intensify
July, 2010
The Kerala Tourism (Conservation and Preservation of Areas) Amendment Ordinance, 2010 (Kerala Ordinance 2010) was promulgated by the Governor on 12th June 2010. It provided for amending the Kerala Tourism (Conservation and Preservation of Areas) Act, 2005. It proposes substituting the State Tourism Conservation and Preservation Committees formed under the Kerala Tourism Act, 2005 with State Tourism Development Authority (DA) for the conservation, preservation and integrated planned development of the Special Tourism Zones (STZs). A few days later, on 29th June 2010, the Kerala Tourism (Conservation and Preservation of Areas) Amendment, Bill 2010 was placed before the State Legislative Assembly, presumably, in order to ensure that the Kerala Ordinance 2010 promulgated does not cease to operate. In this paper, we have critiqued the Amendment Bill and questioned the transferring of regulatory powers of Local Self Governing Institutions (LSGIs) to a parastatal body like DA. This results in the loss of the democratic exercise of powers by the LSGIs. We have also questioned the Ordinance route adopted by the government. With hardly less than 15 days left for the assembly session to start, the move is intended to exclude dialogue with people and their representatives and thereby evade public scrutiny.
EQUATIONS comments on Draft Island Protection Zone Notification in the context of Tourism
June, 2010
In the continuing saga on amendments to the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) made public the draft Islands Protection Zone (IPZ) Notification, applicable to the Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands. This paper contains our concerns related to this proposed Notification, highlights the need to make the CRZ Notification even stronger and ensure tourism is regulated in the fragile island ecosystems.
Our letter that was accompanied with this paper to Dr.Manmohan Singh, Chairman, Island Development Authority is also uploaded.
Our letter that was accompanied with this paper to Dr.Manmohan Singh, Chairman, Island Development Authority is also uploaded.
EQUATIONS comments to the Pre Draft Coastal Regulation Zone Notification 2010
May, 2010
While we continue to identify various instances of CRZ violations by the tourism industry across the country, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) in April 2010, issued another Pre Draft Coastal Regulation Zone Notification 2010 to amend the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification 1991. MoEF continues to take the notification route in spite of a longstanding demand by coastal communities, movements and civil society organisations for a comprehensive legislation to regulate the coast. A democratic system of governance calls for a regulatory mechanism through legislation for the significant and extensive coastline of India.
This brief paper is our comments related to tourism and the Pre Draft Coastal Regulation Zone Notification 2010. Our covering letter to Minister Jairam Ramesh is also uploaded.
This brief paper is our comments related to tourism and the Pre Draft Coastal Regulation Zone Notification 2010. Our covering letter to Minister Jairam Ramesh is also uploaded.
Child Pornography and Tourism-Briefing Sheet
March, 2010
Child pornography is a growing concern within India. Through still and video cameras, sexually abusive images of children are produced. These images are accessed via the internet and increasingly now over mobile phones. These technologies also facilitate organised sexual abuse and violence against children by networks of commercial buyers, sex tourists, paedophiles and traffickers. It is linked with several actors across borders and has direct links to tourism. One country can be a place where production takes place, the child used for the pornographic production could be from a second country, and the final pornographic product could be or end up in a third country. This paper presses home the concerns on child pornography and its links to tourism. Its analyses in brief the current legal framework in India concerning this issue and calls upon the national and state legislature, the tourism, travel, hospitality industry and other stakeholders to take necessary action to address this issue.