Human trafficking is more prevalent than many people think. Nearly 21 million victims around the world – including in the United States – are currently trapped in modern day slavery, according to estimates by the International Labour Organization, a United Nations agency. The travel and tourism industry is in a unique position to address the problem, as trafficking commonly occurs on airplanes, trains and buses when victims are transported from city to city or from country to country. Much of the activity takes place at hotels and to young people, who are particularly vulnerable.
“Youth are strategically targeted and manipulated by pimps who use hotel rooms as venues to abuse children, believing that systems are not in place to protect the victims,” the non-profit organization ECPAT-USA (End Child Prostitution and Trafficking) said in a new report. “With the use of online classified ads, child trafficking is both on the streets and behind the closed doors of local hotel rooms.”
In recent years, the hospitality industry has actively taken steps to combat trafficking, experts say, by training workers how to spot and respond to incidents. “No Vacancy for Child Sex Traffickers,” released on Tuesday, details ECPAT-USA’s work to protect children from the commercial sexual exploitation that takes place in hotels.
In this country, slightly more than half of all hotels have training about how to prevent and disrupt child sex trafficking and 40% of all properties have access to ECPAT-USA’s training materials, the group said, “but there is still more work to be done.”
Hotel anti-trafficking programs typically address specific jobs and the importance of looking for visual clues. Red flags for front desk staff, for example, might include: an older man traveling with a young girl who does not appear to be his daughter and the two present passports from different countries; signs of abuse or fear among potential victims; young people made to appear older; clients who pay cash and are hesitant to provide identification or have no luggage. Housekeeping staff might be alerted to criminal activity if there are many men coming and going from a particular room or there are many condoms in the wastebasket.
The report includes the results of an evaluation of ECPAT-USA’s work with hotels conducted by the New York University Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, a description of the resources and tools that are available to the hospitality industry in this country, a description of the scope and impact of training, and recommendations for how to continue and expand the current work.
Other Key Findings From the Report:
-- 6 out of the 10 largest hotel chains in the world partner with ECPAT-USA and have access to training
--93% of managers with training who said they had increased knowledge said the increase was a result of their training
--82% of managers who said that their hotels received training also reported that they were aware of their state laws.
Marriott International is an example of how the industry has embraced the challenge. On January 1, 2017, the company made human trafficking training mandatory for all on-property staff members across all its hotels (managed and franchised) in order to provide the tools to recognize signs of all forms of trafficking (including labor trafficking) and how to responsibly proceed if they suspect something. Since then, Marriott has trained more than 160, 000 associates, with the goal to train all 675,000 at all Marriott properties. That's more than 6,200 hotels in 125 countries and territories across 30 brands, including Marriott, Sheraton, Westin, Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, W, and Courtyard.
“We are so proud of the progress that has been made with the hospitality industry but progress must continue,” Michelle Guelbart, director of private sector engagement for ECPAT-USA and co-author of the report, said in a statement. “Hotels must mandate training across the board and ensure that this issue is institutionalized through new hire training.”
ECPAT-USA is a member of the ECPAT International network, with offices in 86 countries. For more information, click here. To read the full report, click here.
