In a recent article on CNN.com, Katia Hetter highlights the steps that hotels and the hospitality industry in general are undertaking in order to end the sexual exploitation of children.
The important take-away from this article is that a American hotels are getting involved and ensuring that their properties are not used to facilitate the prostitution of children. The numbers are still small, but it’s something that’s finally being discussed by the American Hospitality Industry in the public view. Let your voice be heard by handing over one of our Code of Conduct Postcards to the concierge whenever you stay at a hotel, to either push the hotel to Sign the Code or to let them know you chose them because they are a signatory.
Wednesday, March 14th, Growlers Beer Bistro in Tuckahoe, NY will be holding a fundraiser to continue the fight against child sex trafficking and exploitation through ECPAT-USA. By clicking the button below you can donate directly to ECPAT-USA even if you can’t make it to the event.
Child sex trafficking is changing and moving indoors in the United States. It is up to the hotel industry to be vigilant and informed about how to stop this vicious exploitation of children from taking place on their premises. We are finally making some progress, with the recent signing of the ECPAT Child Protection Code of Conduct by Wyndham Hotels and by Nix Conference and Meeting Management.
But this news about a horrific situation in Oakland makes us aware about how bad it can get if companies do not step up and do the right thing. In this case, the City of Oakland is suing the company to close the businesses involved. While it is an extreme case, we are gratified that the authorities are using every possible tool to help ensure that children are not being exploited while companies profit.
When a company signs our Code of Conduct, they are agreeing to take five steps to ensure that they are doing everything they can to stop it from happening. Signing the Code also ensures that monitoring of its activities will take place. Other signatories in the U.S. are Carlson Companies (owners of Radisson and other brands), Hilton hotels in a pilot project in two cities (Washington, DC and Seattle, Washington), Delta Air Lines, Reality Tours and the Millennium Hotel in St. Louis.
In this final extended interview from our documentary, Karen Countryman-Roswurm of the Anti-Sexual Exploitation Roundtable for Community Action (ASERCA) and Laurel Edinburgh of the Midwest Children’s Resource Center talk about local responses to child sex trafficking in Kansas and the midwest. They specifically talk about what governments and NGOs are doing to help rehabilitate victims of commercial sexual exploitation and survival sex.
This was the last of our extended interviews from our documentary. We hope that you have been following along the releases of these extended excerpts and have seen the documentary. Most importantly, we hope that you have shared these videos with your friends and family. Too often, we are asked ‘what can I do?’. So many people want the hands on experience of being a councilor for a victim, of volunteering at a safe house, and other direct methods of help. Unfortunately, life is not so simple. While caring for one victim is noble, there are tens of thousands every year in need of help. These children need to stop being re-victimized by the judicial system, and given access to a multifaceted support network, which includes counseling, housing, healthcare, education, job training, and financial support. Certainly, one person can make a difference in one person’s life by offering them direct support, but the needs are far greater than that. The best thing you can do is inform others, and together push your legislators to change the laws and finance the support these victims need. You can make a difference in thousands of children suffering right now, and better the future for hundreds of thousands yet to be harmed.