Uber Driver Saves 16 Year Old Girl From Sex Trafficking

An Uber driver’s call to police lead to the rescue of a 16 year old girl from being trafficked in a California hotel. The Uber driver, Keith Avila, picked up on the situation that was taking place and knew he had to take action. 

He quickly called 9-1-1 after recognizing multiple signs that the girl was with her pimps and was about to be trafficked. To read more about the story, click here.

Uber announced their partnership with ECPAT-USA in April of 2016. As part of its pledge, Uber said it would provide materials to drivers that describe physical and behavioral signs of trafficked children.

“Uber is committed to safety in the communities we serve and we want to do our part to help put an end to the transportation of trafficked children,” said Niki Christoff head of federal affairs for Uber. “By partnering with ECPAT-USA, we are taking steps to promote awareness and educate drivers who sign up on our platform about this important issue.”

“We are encouraged to see stories where people step up and respond to suspicious activity,” said Michelle Guelbart, director of private sector engagement for ECPAT-USA. “By sharing more resources we know that Uber drivers will have the right tools to respond moving forward.”

The Code is an industry-driven responsible tourism initiative with a mission to provide awareness, tools and support to the tourism industry in order to prevent the sexual exploitation of children.

Uber is one of the many companies that have signed The Code and partnered with ECPAT-USA. The private sector is in a unique position to help prevent child sexual exploitation. To learn more about ECPAT-USA’s work with the private sector, click here.