Abstract : This short guide traces the development and progress of ECPAT since its modest beginnings in 1990. Twelve years later, there are more than 60 groups around the world, a skilled and dedicated staff in Bangkok, and a Board of 8 members representing all continents. What has been achieved is the result of successful partnerships forged by working together in the service of children. When governments work with non-governmental organisations, when the private sector provides support, when legislators and law enforcers concentrate their efforts on protecting children, real and lasting improvements are made to children’s lives; hope is rekindled that future generations will be able to grow up free from the threat of abuse and exploitation. So more than the record of the growth and development of an organisation, this is the story of people of all ages and from every continent who have been working, and continue to work for and with children, against all the odds, often with few resources, but strong in their belief that this terrible injustice to childhood must be overcome.