Hotel and airline workers are getting trained to spot child sex trafficking, according to Reuters.com.
Innocents At Risk, a nonprofit focused on fighting child exploitation and human trafficking, is
working with Airline Ambassadors International and the Air Transport Association. They have a training program to help flight attendants, hotel desk clerks, cleaning crews and other workers spot children in trouble.
Signs of child trafficking include:
- The child has few personal items when they board the plane.
- The child avoids eye contact, looks paranoid, undernourished and behaves in an unusually submissive manner.
- Adults with these children refuse to let them speak for themselves or roam around the plane.
The hotel and airline industries play a huge role in global human trafficking by providing transportation and lodging to criminals, without knowing it, according to the Polaris Project.
A study commissioned by the Atlanta-based Juvenile Justice Fund found that on average 300 adolescent girls are sexually exploited each month in Georgia near the Hartsfield-Jackson International airport, one of the busiest in the world.
To combat the problem, Georgia has increased the number of beds in safe homes and set up the only statewide system of care for girls who are trying to escape from prostitution.
The Carlson hotel company was the first and only in the U.S. to sign an international code of conduct, and to train staff to spot trafficking and report possible offenders. Carlson hotels include: The Radisson, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson, Park Inn and Park Plaza.
Change.org is circulating an online petition to win passage of federal legislation. The Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act would “authorize large block grants to create a comprehensive, victim-centered approach to addressing child sex trafficking.” To support the Act, click here.
For Reuters full story, click here.
Organizations mentioned in the story:
I heartily applaud the industry and creative efforts of these many organizations. It will be interesting to learn how Atlanta has changed as a result. All hotel companies should follow the example of Carlson by signing the international code of conduct. Effectively training hotel workers, many of whom may not speak English well, would be a difficult undertaking. Airline Ambassadors International should also be commended for adding trafficking to their many activities — and for making it a high priority.