Human trafficking is an often-unspoken by-product of large gatherings like conferences and events. Learn how you can help stop it.
Human trafficking – the recruitment, transportation, harboring or receipt of people through force, fraud or deception to obtain profits – involves up to 50 million souls worldwide. Adults and children of any age and gender can be subject to human trafficking, but children currently make up one-third of all victims, and half of children engaged in forced labor are subject to commercial and sexual exploitation, according to the International United Nations on the Elimination of Child Prostitution and Trafficking in Persons (UNUAC).Expat(Founded in 1991, the U.S. membership of ECPAT is a worldwide network of civil society organizations working to end the sexual exploitation of children.) Agreement).
Sex trafficking tends to follow the money, so conferences and events that bring together people with money to spend are the most attractive places. TenNumber World Day Against Trafficking in PersonsThis is a good time to make sure you and your organization are doing all you can to be part of the solution.
Is our meeting really about this?
While large public events like the Super Bowl have been linked to spikes in sex trafficking, “it’s not the Super Bowl that causes the spike in human trafficking, and human trafficking is not directly linked to these events. If a man who is a female buyer comes to a new city for an event or a conference, the odds are pretty good that he’s going to purchase sexual products in that city. So it’s not the Super Bowl that creates human trafficking. It’s people who are already purchasing sexual products coming here and purchasing sexual products here,” said Samantha Calvin, a lecturer at Arizona State University’s Edson School of Nursing and Health Innovation. ASU News The school’s State Farm Stadium will host the Super Bowl in 2023.
It is no longer surprising that any conference or event could unintentionally facilitate human trafficking, and the airlines that conference attendees fly and the hotels where the conferences are held are also major conduits for traffickers.
That’s why a group of meeting and event planners, hoteliers and AV professionals have formed the Meetings Professionals Against Human Trafficking.India) was founded in 2017 with the goal of raising awareness and providing education on how the industry can specifically work to eradicate human trafficking.
According to Mahima Tripathi, MPAHT board member and owner of Tourism Ottawa’s Saleint marketing agency: Announced commitment to stop human trafficking We also developed a toolkit for DMOs in February and encourage industry professionals to check out the following sites: MPAHT Resource PageIt features information relevant to the meetings, tourism and travel industries. Another resource Tripathi recommends for the hospitality industry is: Toolkit It was developed in collaboration with the Canadian Provincial Hotel Associations, the Canadian Hotel Association, and Not in My City. MPAHT will also be launching two new initiatives, so keep an eye out for them!
5 steps to take now to stop human trafficking at your events
Here are five things you can do right now to help stop the scourge of human trafficking.
- Sign the Code of Conduct on Protection from Child Sexual Exploitation in Travel and TourismCommonly referred to as the Code, this multi-stakeholder initiative aims to provide the travel and tourism industry with awareness, tools and support to prevent child sexual exploitation. By signing, you agree to abide by the Code’s six standards, including establishing a policy against child sexual exploitation; training employees to detect, prevent and report; and reporting annually on the Code’s implementation. Current signatories include hotel chains such as Accor, Caesars Entertainment, Choice Hotels, Hilton, Hyatt, Iberostar, IHG, Marriott, MGM and Wyndham; airlines such as American Airlines and Delta; and the meetings and events industry and organizations such as BCD Travel, CWT, IMEX, Maritz Travel, Meeting Professionals International (MPI), Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) and DMC Network. (A full list of current members can be found at here.
- Include a zero-tolerance policy in your contracts On this issue, the clause is one of six criteria in the “Code,” but hotels and other vendors do not have to sign the Code to include the clause in their contracts. Another suggestion to consider is for hotels and other vendors to have their employees undergo human trafficking awareness training. Tripathi said MPAHT encourages meeting professionals to include questions about human trafficking in their requests for proposals (RFPs).
- Know how to spot the signs of human trafficking. Ideally, you’ll have formal training, but at the very least, make sure your staff knows what the signs are, such as a traveler not carrying ID, not carrying much luggage, paying with cash, or appearing to be under the control of others (a full list of signs to watch out for is available at here.
- If you see something, say somethingIf you see signs, do not intervene directly or you may put yourself at risk. Instead, report it to the authorities. If you are in the United States and it appears to be an emergency, call 911. Otherwise, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at (888) 373-7888, text the hotline at 233733, or report it online. org/chat.
- Putting human trafficking on the agendaThis scourge affects every industry in some way. Educate your audience on this issue by including a few sessions in your agenda. You can also ask your local convention and visitors bureau to introduce you to organizations that help victims of human trafficking and how you can support them through your Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts. Anti-human trafficking training seminar guide More ideas on how to raise awareness at meetings.
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