To mark the United Nations World Day against Trafficking in Persons on 30 July, the American Hotel & Lodging Foundation (AHLA Foundation), ECPAT-USA and Marriott International rolled out a trafficking prevention training programme for the industry.
"Recognise and Respond: Addressing Human Trafficking in the Hospitality Industry" was developed by Marriott in collaboration with non-profit organisations and survivor experts and donated to ECPAT-USA. With the support of the AHLA Foundation, it is now free and available on ECPAT-USA's online learning platform.
The new training programme builds on the foundation of the "Your Role in Preventing Trafficking" training, released to the industry in 2020, featuring unique learning paths for associates and managers around increased guidance on responding to trafficking situations and interacting with victims.
Furthering training and education to raise awareness about human trafficking is a key goal of AHLA Foundation's national awareness programme, No Room for Trafficking, which is committed to uniting the hotel and lodging industry in thought leadership and action to combat trafficking.
"One of No Room for Trafficking's goals is to train every single hotel employee to identify and respond to a potential human trafficking situation. Through this innovative new training, the industry as a whole will be better equipped to help identify and stop cases of human trafficking," said Chip Rogers, President and CEO of AHLA. "We are extremely grateful to Marriott International and leading trafficking prevention partners offering this free training with support from the AHLA Foundation."
Earlier this year, the AHLA Foundation organised a No Room for Trafficking Summit in Washington, D.C., for industry leaders to discuss emerging trends and areas of innovation to build upon efforts to eradicate human trafficking and support survivors with public and private sector partners. During the Summit, Hyatt Hotels Foundation, G6 Hospitality, and Extended Stay America donated a total of one million dollars to launch the No Room for Trafficking Survivor Fund.
