Hotels Should Join the Battle to End Human Trafficking; Here’s Why
In July, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania upheld an earlier judgment that stated an insurer was not required to defend a motel company in a lawsuit from an individual who identifies as a child sex trafficking survivor who was exploited at several of the company’s properties. In her case, the survivor alleges that the motels facilitated her abuse and, in doing so, violated Pennsylvania human trafficking laws, by:
renting rooms to people who trafficked her
failing to provide adequate security to prevent criminal acts against her onsite.
Pennsylvania, and over 35 other states in the US, permits human trafficking survivors to bring civil action against anyone who participates in the exploitation. While it is possible for a lodging facility to be found liable for their participation, particularly when they are found to “profit from” exploitation, these laws and their applicability can be complicated. In order to help hotels navigate these complex laws, ECPAT-USA has outlined what hotels in all 50 states need to know about liability, training, and anti-trafficking signage in our Unpacking Human Trafficking series.
In 2020, hotels were reported as the most common venue where sex trafficking took place. In 77% of active sex trafficking cases involving a completed sex act, a sex act occurred at a hotel. With proper training, hotel associates are uniquely situated to recognize and report suspicious activity related to sex trafficking. ECPAT-USA offers tools and resources to help hotels combat sex trafficking. These include posters that comply with various state laws, checklists, e-learnings, and The Code, all available on our website.
ECPAT-USA’s experience with hotels illustrates that educational tools and training resources are crucial to protecting children, and we commend the industry leaders who have made ending exploitation a priority. Together, we can end child sex trafficking not just in the hotel industry but across the country.