BSR Conference 2011: Redefining Leadership
The Travel and Tourism Industry’s Role in Preventing Human Trafficking
Session Summary
Speakers
- Jennifer Silberman, Vice President, Corporate Responsibility, Hilton Worldwide
- Bradley Myles, Executive Director and CEO, Polaris Project
- Amy O’Neill Richard, Senior Advisor, U.S. Department of State, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
- Kara Hurst, Vice President, BSR (Moderator)
Highlights
There are many myths around human trafficking that must be dispelled. Human trafficking includes all forms of labor obtained through force, fraud, or coercion, and it affects men and women, boys and girls, immigrants and citizens.
Combating human trafficking requires collaboration between business and civil society. Few businesses have the internal expertise to develop training programs on their own.
Memorable Quotes
“The sex trade is happening in street prostitution and escort services, but we are also seeing the sex trade trying to take advantage of legitimate businesses.” —Bradley Myles, Polaris Project
“What are some of the things that business can do to combat trafficking? It’s all about educating yourself about the public tools that are available to you.” —Amy O’Neill Richard, U.S. Department of State
“Human trafficking is location agnostic. It doesn’t necessarily happen at the Hampton; it could also happen at The Waldorf.” —Jennifer Silberman, Hilton Worldwide
Overview
Awareness of human trafficking risks and issues is increasing globally, particularly within Europe and the United States. There is a collective awakening among policy makers, media, civil society, and businesses that want to address this crucial issue. Myles opened the session by providing a baseline description of human trafficking that includes three components:
- Children under the age of 18 in the commercial sex trade
- Adults over the age of 18 who are involved in the commercial sex trade due to force, fraud, or coercion
- Adults and children who are in the labor and services industry, involved through force, fraud, or coercion
While understanding of human trafficking issues is gaining traction, numerous myths still prevail. Myth number one is that human trafficking only involves girls. In reality, victims of human trafficking are men and women, adults and children, immigrants and citizens. Myth number two is the sex-only myth. Indeed, human trafficking includes victims of the sex trade, but it also includes victims of bonded labor in any industry. Myth number three is that human trafficking only refers to the physical transfer of humans. In fact, the U.S. government does not include transportation as a requirement for trafficking. Trafficking is any form of work that is a result of force, fraud, and coercion, and does not necessarily mean the movement of persons across borders. It is important to recognize that human trafficking is synonymous with slavery. Finally, myth number four is that travel and tourism are the only industries affected by human trafficking. In fact, human trafficking seeps into legitimate businesses across many industries.
The fight against human trafficking recently gained political momentum in the United States with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. O’Neill Richard discussed the three-P framework used by the U.S. State Department to combat human trafficking: protection, prevention, and prosecution. Recently, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton added a fourth P for partnership. O’Neill Richard emphasized the importance of partnership as a driver in prevention of trafficking and protection of victims. The U.S. State Department partners with foreign governments as well as domestic institutions and corporations to raise awareness of modern-day slavery and human trafficking. One of the tools used is the Luxor Protocol, an international set of guidelines on how business can implement ethical principles that will contribute to the eradication of human trafficking.
As a leading representative in the travel and tourism industry, Silberman spoke of the risk that human trafficking presents to Hilton Worldwide. Human trafficking is prevalent in low-, middle-, and high-income countries and affects the safety of Hilton employees and customers globally. In 2010 Hilton began to address this risk in its business by partnering with Polaris to provide detailed trainings to employees on how to identify human trafficking. Trainings were tailored for food and beverage, security, reception, and housekeeping staff. Since implementing the trainings, Hilton has experienced some wins. General managers are supportive of the program and are eager to use tools and resources to identify and appropriately react to instances of human trafficking.
Addressing human trafficking in the supply chain, however, remains a challenge. While Hilton Group already had a human rights component in its code of conduct, the company recently incorporated a component against the exploitation of children. Hilton is working to implement this code of conduct across its hotels in 80 countries.
While Hilton has taken extensive steps in the last two years to combat trafficking through targeted trainings, other businesses may only be beginning to develop a strategy. Myles stressed the importance of accessing the tools that are publicly available for business and developing a strategy that is relevant to a company’s needs. For example, Polaris is working with trucking companies to educate drivers about what to do if they see instances of human trafficking. Truckers are encouraged to call the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline (1-888-373-7888) to expose instances of trafficking.
Other resources for businesses include:
This summary was written by BSR staff. View all session summaries at www.bsr.org/session-summaries.
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