Human Trafficking in the Hospitality Industry. Educate Yourself.

Last month, The Westin Ottawa hosted a Breakfast & Learn for clients in honour of Global Appreciation Week. Cynthia, the founder of Voice Found, addressed the group about human trafficking, specifically, how to recognize the signs and how to help prevent it in our communities. Needless to say, the conversation was powerful and eye opening.

Voice Found is a charitable organization committed to the prevention of child sex abuse and commercial sexual exploitation in Ottawa. This survivor led organization educates individuals and organizations on how to identify, prevent and respond to child sex abuse and sex trafficking.

This topic is not easy to discuss but is an issue that The Westin Ottawa takes very seriously. An important step in the prevention of human trafficking is ensuring that every associate is trained to recognize the signs and know how to respond. This online training is done annually for all Marriott associates. Associates working in operations review the training on a quarterly basis with The Westin Ottawa security team. The goal of educational and repetitive training is the hope that associates will be comfortable recognizing and reporting any suspicious activity that may lead to human trafficking.

 

Training and education are critical in the prevention of human trafficking. There are various signs that hotel associates and meeting planners can look for to help reduce occurrences in their community. Some basic signs include guests travelling with little to no luggage and are inappropriately dressed. Victims will not speak for themselves whether this is at a restaurant, at an event or checking in to a hotel. Someone will often speak for the victim and try to control the situation. In a hotel, housekeeping and security can pay special attention to irregular and frequent traffic in and out of a hotel room at regular intervals. Housekeeping is often turned down by this type of guest but an excessive number of towels will be requested to the room. Often in this situation there will be complaints of loud noises and/or fighting in the room. Although these are all signs of human trafficking, none may be visible.

Potential red flags that anyone can look for include abnormal behavior such as high anxiety, fear and submissiveness from an individual. Poor signs of physical health such as a lack of hygiene, malnourishment or fatigue are common as the victim is not able to properly care for themselves. Often victims will show signs of substance abuse or addiction. Keeping all this in mind, not all indicators will be present in every case. If you think you have come across a victim of human trafficking, do not approach. Contact the police with as much detail as possible and allow them to take control of the situation.

 

The most important thing to do in preventing human trafficking is to be educated and help educate others. Advocate for training in your workplace and include persons with lived experience in the conversation. The stories from survivors will create a memorable and lasting impression. Together, we can help end human trafficking in our communities.

For more information on the signs and prevention of human trafficking, visit www.voicefound.ca.

Written By: Kaitlyn Elgie, The Westin Ottawa

Edited By: Darlene Kelly-Stewart, Stonehouse Sales & Marketing Services