Employees in the hospitality industry are in a unique position to help protect children and adults from human trafficking. Hotels and motels are commonly reported venues for human trafficking.
According to the Polaris Project, “industry leaders are increasingly recognizing the unique role they can play in preventing and disrupting this crime.” Hotels are encouraged “to adopt company-wide anti-trafficking policies, train staff on what to look for and how to respond, establish a safe and secure reporting mechanism, and work with suppliers and vendors who responsibly source their products.” ECPAT-USA has developed The Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct, a set of business guidelines to help travel companies prevent child sex trafficking.
The Niagara County Safe Harbour Project is reaching out to members of the tourism industry to support these efforts. The project has developed a concise rack card outlining red flags for human trafficking for employees in the hospitality industry including hotel desk personnel, bell stations, concierge, housekeeping, room service and bars and restaurants. Simple guidelines are provided for responding to suspected trafficking, starting with notifying appropriate hotel personnel. Download rack card.
Additional Resources:
National Human Trafficking Resource Center http://www.polarisproject.org/initiatives/hotels
