Tag Archives: Child Sex Trafficking

by | December 12, 2013 · 10:55 am

Hospitality Industry Crime Risks: Hotels Work With States To Reduce “Sex Trafficking” At Super Bowl Sites; Tens Of Thousands Of Women And Minors Victimized During Annual Event

“…The New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking has taken several steps to raise awareness about the issue, training hotel managers on Child Sex Traffickinghow to detect and address trafficking in their establishments, and holding an informational rally replete with “elected officials, community activists, students, [and] artists.” Efforts like those in New Jersey and Arizona are aimed at duplicating past success at Super Bowl host sites…”

Before Super Bowl XLVI, held in Indianapolis in 2012, efforts from nonprofits and other activist groups helped generate a law making it easier to convict and punish pimps for victimizing people under 16 years of age. Those efforts don’t just fight sex trafficking around the Super Bowl — they also leave in place laws that are effective in limiting the practice long after the game is gone.

The enormity of the Super Bowl provides an ideal setting for traffickers to maximize profits. In Florida, for instance, “tens of thousands of women and minors” were victimized around Miami in 2009. Due to the influx of sports enthusiasts, there are more opportunities for sex solicitation – which pimps capitalize on. Additionally, the number of escort ads multiply closer to game day.

Led by Cindy McCain, the wife of Arizona Sen. John McCain (R), the task force issued 28 recommendations for reducing sex trafficking in the state. The task force, for instance, recommends increased protections for sex trafficking victims who are minors and the recognition of girls as victims in need of help instead of prostitutes. It suggests changing current state law to treat 15-, 16-, and 17-year-old victims of sex trafficking the same way it treats girls who younger than 15. It also suggests increasing penalties for johns and devoting resources to public awareness campaigns to combat the prevalence of sex trafficking.

Anti-trafficking outreach before the annual event is not unique to the Copper State, and advocacy campaigns have produced tangible results around past editions of the Super Bowl. Activists in New York and New Jersey are bracing for Super Bowl XLVIII – which they’ll host in February at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.

For more: http://thinkprogress.org/sports/2013/12/12/3050121/combating-human-trafficking-arizona/

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by | March 29, 2013 · 1:12 am

Hospitality Industry Crime Risks: Hotel Management Must Become More Aware Of Child Sex Trafficking At Properties; Front Desk Employees And Staff Must Be Trained To Look For Visual Clues

“…front desk employees, for example, are encouraged to look for visual clues like signs of abuse or fear among Child Sex Traffickingpotential victims; young people made up to look older; and clients who pay with cash, are reluctant to provide identification or have no luggage…housekeeping staff might be alerted to criminal activity if there are an unusually large number of electronic devices in guest rooms, or many condoms in the wastebasket…”

THE travel industry — long an unwitting participant in human trafficking at hotels and on airplanes, trains and buses — lately has been increasing efforts to combat the problem, working with private advocacy groups and the federal government in long-term, coordinated initiatives that go beyond its normal philanthropic activities.

“People don’t realize how prevalent it is,” Sam Gilliland, chief executive of the travel technology company Sabre Holdings, said of the trafficking problem. “It is not restricted to certain areas in the world. It’s everywhere.”

He called human trafficking a $32 billion-a-year business, but the Polaris Project, an advocacy group, thinks it is higher. The group said that an estimated 21 to 27 million people globally are held as virtual slaves.

Stephen Barth, a lawyer and professor of hospitality law at the University of Houston, said he believed that among the travel industry’s major brands, awareness of the problem had become widespread. “The goal now is to create more awareness among the 50,000 independent hotels scattered all over the U.S. and around the world,” he said.

But challenges remain, particularly among cheaper properties. “Franchisers don’t actually operate the franchised hotels,” which can result in variable compliance, he said. And at some properties, both franchised and independent, security might consist of only one person at the front desk.

For more:  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/09/giving/the-travel-industry-takes-on-human-trafficking.html?emc=eta1&_r=1&

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