The Traveling Public as a Witness: Understanding Travelers’ Intent to Report Signals of Child Sexual Exploitation Abroad

Abstract

European governments encourage their citizens to report signals of child sexual exploitation while traveling abroad. To better understand what inhibits their reporting behavior, this study examines travelers’ intent to report signals of sexual exploitation of children in the context of travel and tourism (SECTT). Building on scholarship on crime reporting behavior and (indirect) bystander intervention, travelers from five European countries were surveyed about barriers influencing their reporting decision. Results indicate that barriers related to the interpretation of the situation and cost-benefit reasoning inhibit intent to report. Awareness of the phenomenon and intervention decreases the perceived barriers and positively impact the intents to report. Previous experience with observing signals of SECTT is associated with a lower intent to report. Explanations for this unexpected finding and recommendations for practitioners are explored.