Walters VanushiVANUSHI WALTERS (Labour—Upper Harbour) (remote): Thank you Mr Speaker for the opportunity to take a call and to speak in support of this bill through to select committee for consideration. It's a select committee that I sit on so I do look forward to considering all the issues that present in relation to this bill. I'd like to commend my colleague Greg O'Connor for championing an issue that is about protecting the rights of children and I also want to recognise the work of other organisations like ECPAT Child Alert who tirelessly work to end sex offending against children including beyond New Zealand's borders. Earlier this year I read an article published by World Nomads that began Early evening in Bangkok's notorious Patpong Road district and tourists move through the heaving humidity the chaos of clubs and holiday dreams. … there are two types of traveler curious unsuspecting visitors and more conspicuously those [who] prowl eager to select a girl by the number pinned on her brief costume. Just like circling the numbers on a lotto ticket but with less concern about the consequences." It's a story that's being played out every night not just in Thailand not just in other countries not just in developing nations. It's an issue as complex as it is disturbing. There is no place for sexual exploitation especially of children not here in Aotearoa and not anywhere overseas. Yet according to UNICEF there are millions of children globally who are affected by sexual exploitation every year. We know that tourism isn't the cause of child exploitation but it can aggravate the problem. What can be additionally horrifying is the othering that sometimes happens as a justification of travelling to commit these offences. Again don't get me wrong developing countries aren't the only places where child sexual exploitation occurs but they have become a magnet for child sex tourism. In addition to feeling that their offences may not be traceable some might feel that part of the justification appears to be tied to the concept of othering of these children—sometimes on the basis of their race—allowing them to justify that their moral obligations might excuse those children from any crimes that they're committing. The truth is that in international spaces more and more we see some of these patterns of source country travellers and those countries who might receive them and so something must be done about that. Whereas some countries don't accept the international accountabilities here New Zealand does and it's something that we should be proud of. As part of the global community and as a party to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child New Zealand takes the protection of children very seriously and it's one of several countries that have passed legislation enabling a New Zealander who is engaging in this kind of criminal activity overseas to be prosecuted in New Zealand. As a result of those laws it's an offence for New Zealand citizens and residents to engage in things like sexual conduct or activities with a child in another country to pay for sexual services of someone who's under the age of 18 in another country or to help people travel overseas to have sex with children in another country.This bill does seem small but it is attached to our desire to accept that obligation to children globally and to consider what we can do about it. Again as a member of the Justice Committee I do think it's important that the committee considers the bill in its entirety including the detail of all rights at issue here. I would say that there are examples in other countries who have put very stringent rules in this place and Australia is one example of this where they put in significant rules in 2017 but I am very much looking forward to assessing the bill. I do believe that children everywhere deserve to be free from violence and free from abuse and accordingly I commend this bill through to select committee where I look forward with my colleagues to discussing it in robust detail."