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MPI Anti-Human Trafficking
How to identify victims and next steps
We can help.
The Meetings industry is at the frontline of a battle to combat human trafficking, with an increasing number of hospitality brands and organizations pledging to fight sexual and labor exploitation.
It affects millions.
The World Travel and Tourism Council announced it is setting up a global taskforce to help the industry to combat trafficking and estimates the trade is worth $150 billion annually and affects more than 40 million people worldwide, around 5.5 million of them children.
It’s fast-growing.
Human Trafficking is the second largest and fastest growing criminal industry in the world. Second to drug trafficking.
What is human trafficking?
The exercise of coercive control over persons for the purpose of exploitation, A form of modern day slavery in which traffickers use force, fraud, or coercion to control victims for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts or labor services against their will.
Who are the perpetrators?
Exploiter
The person who buys sex from a trafficking victim. A person can be both a trafficker and an exploiter.
Trafficker�The person who compels another individual to perform labor or a commercial sex act, often by means of force, fraud, and/or coercion.
Who are the victims?
The International Labor Organization estimates that there are 40.3 million victims of human trafficking globally
In the US, the common age of entry into trafficking is 13 for girls & 11 for boys.
Targeted Victims Include:
How does it happen?
Traffickers target where kids are.
Public Libraries
Shopping Malls
Movie Theaters
Social Media
Grocery Stores
Schools
Older Boyfriend
High-risk areas include:
Nail Salons
Factories
Ethnic Restaurants
Landscaping
Bus Stations
Agriculture
Other high-risk areas are:
Truck Stops
Craigslist
Rest Areas
False Job Ads
Hotels
The reality:
We must stand up for human rights.
Children's rights are human rights based on The Convention on the Rights of the Child.
As global citizens it is imperative that the travel industry take a stand and protect children from being exploited.
Risks to our businesses & industry:
Reputation�Customers mean everything to us. If they hear a case in the news or trafficking occurs at our property, this can affect public trust in the company. Instead proactively addressing the issue proves the company is a responsible brand.
Risks to our businesses & industry:
Security�Trafficking is often connected to other criminal activities, which can jeopardize our staff and customer safety. If staff and travellers are not properly trained, they may intervene - putting themselves and the victim at risk. Identifying victims prevents exploitations from happening.
Risks to our businesses & industry:
Financial�Our companies’ bottom lines can be impacted by negative publicity, legal fees - if it is misreported, business interruptions, associated with trafficking
Why should we take action?
With the growth of technology, traffickers are running their business on the streets and the internet. Traffickers, buyers, and victims believe the travel industry is anonymous and low-risk.
Training staff improves duty of care so meetings & events employees know how to respond.
Know the general signs:
Human trafficking often occurs within a cycle of abuse and control. A person may act controlling over another person, who is often unable to move and/or speak freely. Look for signs of controlling interaction. A person may seem disoriented, lost, and/or fearful of their situation. You may hear threats or insults.
Recognize the physical signs:
Bruises, cuts, burns or other injuries at various stages of healing could be a sign of physical abuse associated with human trafficking.
Recognize neglect:
The person may appear to have been denied food, water, sleep, adequate clothing or medical care. They might only be given food or water based on conditions they must meet.
How to identify a victim:
If a victim is identified, what should be done?
You should never get directly involved in a suspected trafficking situation.
Do not confront the victim or the trafficker because it:
Our role is to make a report.
If you suspect human trafficking:
What if there’s an emergency?
If there is an emergency and someone is in immediate danger, call 911 and report the incident right away.�
Helpful terminology:
We can help stop these crimes.
As meetings industry organizers and brands realize they can play a vital role to help prevent the sexual exploitation of children, they have been signing up to an internationally recognized anti-trafficking code of conduct.
To download a copy: https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/d/4/541269.pdf
About The Code:
We protect children in travel and tourism — The Code: The Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism is a joint venture between the tourism private sector and ECPAT-USA, which is a member of ECPAT International, a network of organizations in 95 countries.
Taking the pledge:
Companies adopting The Code pledge to establish policies and procedures to prevent the sexual exploitation of children; train employees in children’s rights and how to report suspected cases; include relevant clauses in contracts throughout the value chain, among other provisions.
“Moving Beyond the Front Lines”
PACT has a human trafficking prevention e-learning program entitled "Moving Beyond the Front Lines" which is empowering the travel management industry, corporate travel managers and the meetings and events industry to protect children.
About “Moving Beyond the Front Lines”
The training covers the definition and impact of human trafficking, why traffickers use the travel industry, labor trafficking, how to take action and disrupting human traffickers.
How PACT can help.
PACT can partner with your company to adopt comprehensive policies, implement training and engage employees and can provide sample anti-trafficking policy and anti-trafficking RFP language
How businesses and you can help
What can you do personally?
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Thank You!