Collaboration is not an issue that immediately springs to mind when considering the international fight against global slavery and trafficking. Yet in a sector so divided by geography and so crippled by a lack of funding, the ability to work together, share information and, crucially, resources has the capacity to transform the work of individual organisations into a global movement capable of tackling one of most complex and challenging human rights issues of our time.

Tim Waldron, chief executive of Love146, a UK-based anti-trafficking charity, agrees and says that the fractured nature of the anti-slavery sector has made collaboration a real challenge.

“The problem is that modern-day slavery is a labour issue, it’s a human rights issue, a migration issue, a criminal issue, and work on this extends from frontline rescue operations through to high-level political lobbying, campaigning and coordinating with partners working in often incredibly dangerous and tense environments around the world,” he says.

Aidan McQuade, director of Anti-Slavery International believes that a sidelining of anti-slavery work by the mainstream development community, especially when it comes to funding and policy work, increases the isolation of individual groups and limits their capacity to build their own networks.

“Addressing the vulnerability of Dalits to enslavement in India means not only redressing their economic poverty but also challenging the caste discrimination and the lack of rule of law,” he says. “Human rights and international development should always complement each other. Only by linking all actors can the root causes of slavery be properly addressed.”

So why has collaboration proved so difficult for groups essentially all working towards the same broad aims?

“In the international world, there has been some good collaboration, but sadly much cross-working on this issue has historically been characterised by a lot of infighting and jealousy, for instance among the different UN agencies engaging on the issue of slavery or trafficking,” says Roger Plant, former head of the International Labour Organisation’s programme to combat forced labour.

“The main problem is that they can’t agree on who can do what best and so trip over each other. Instead of resolving things, the problems have actually escalated when there have been efforts, as through the UN General Assembly, to set up coordination mechanisms. At the national level, some good collaborative tools have been set up on paper through things like national action plans, but it’s a sign that this is an issue where different bodies with different mandates, whether criminal or labour justice, don’t tend to work well together on this.”

There’s universal agreement that a lack of resources to combat modern slavery and human trafficking limits the capability of groups to work together effectively.

“They can barely service the large numbers of victims in front of them,” said Reid Maki, coordinator of the Child Labour Coalition, an organisation of 28 groups including Human Rights Watch and the National Consumer’s League, “and coordinating with other organisations, although vital, can be time consuming.”

On top of the issue of resources, the complexity of the crimes involving slavery, forced labour and human trafficking has meant that the movement, according to Marina Colby, director of public policy and government relations at ECPAT-USA, an organisation working to protect children from commercial sexual exploitation, “has suffered from some lapses in coordination when it comes to formulating a comprehensive local or national response to effectively identify and respond to the needs of human trafficking victims, or to prevent these crimes from occurring in the first place.”

On a practical level, the knock-on effect of a lack of sector-wide effective collaboration can lead to pointless duplication of efforts and the waste of what few resources are available. For instance, one anti-trafficking group can be hard at work on a grant proposal to create a statewide database of shelters while a group within the same city has already compiled such a list.

Dave Batstone, president of Not For Sale, summed up collaboration within the movement:

“Collaboration is hard work because it runs counter to an agency’s instinct to think first of its own need for money and other resources. But cocooning your work in a social cause will prove even more costly because you will miss out on dynamic opportunities to grow your network and your influence.”

“Social movements are most successful when agencies can play to their strengths and unique competences and look for other agencies to bolster their weaknesses or gaps. Strategic alliances win important social landmarks; lone rangers win logos and egos,” he says. Yet in the past few years there are some positive signs that things are changing.

The Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (Atest), the Child Labour Coalition and the Cotton Campaign are all examples of this new wave of cross-sector co-ordination. For example, Atest, an alliance of 12 US based groups including the Polaris Project, Verité and the International Justice Mission, has been praised for it’s work surrounding the Trafficking victims protection act through the US senate.

“I think we’re seeing a cultural sea-change starting to occur,” says Love146′s Waldron. “Social media and increasing recognition of anti-slavery and trafficking efforts by the private sector and public at large is certainly helping push this along. We’re beginning to see a more strategic approach to partnership working, with strategic thinking that is putting collaboration at the core of more long-term planning, which are all very positive signs.”

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Proclamation

Whereas: For more than 20 years, ECPAT-USA has done outstanding work in its mission to end child prostitution and trafficking, many Americans do not realize that these crimes continue to be serious problems in our country – and even more disturbing, that they remain underreported and poorly understood. Vigorous national action is needed to bring about change. Today, New Yorkers are proud to do our part, as we celebrate “Stand-Up for Children”, an evening of stand-up comdedy bringing ECPAT-USA’s members and many supporters together for a vitally important cause.

Whereas: Here in New York City, our “let’s call an end to human trafficking” initiative is raising awareness of this issue and encouraging New Yorkers to call 33 and report suspected activity. Our Administration for children’s services has trained staff members on how to identify and help sex trafficked youth, and our human trafficking ask force is improving communication among prosecutors, service providers, and advocacy groups, while it connects more trafficking victims to the resources that can help them rebuild their lives.

Whereas: Just last week, the United Nations general assembly convened a meeting to review the progress its members have made in combatin human trafficking. Across the globe, countries are pledging their full assistance and support to victims, and ECPAT-USA is a leader among a network of organizations committed to ensuring that every child can grow up healthy and safe. We applaud ECPAT-USA for linking its fight for justice with similar efforts going on beyond our borders. Your advocacy is helping coordinate efforts in our nation with the work of law enforcement agencies and legislators worldwide who share our goal of ending child prostitution and trafficking.

Now therefore, I, Michael R. Bloomberg, mayor of the city of New York, do hereby proclaim Monday, May 20th, 2013 in the city of New York as: “ECPAT-USA DAY”.

It is vital that health care providers understand that when trafficking victims seek medical sevices, they will not act like doe-eyed, innocent victims, yearning to be rescued. But they are victims, too afraid to ask for help, and are in need of rescue.

ECPAT-USA has developed a training for health care service providers to help them identify the victims of Commercial Sexual Exploitation. We have produced a DVD of with the victims of CSEC describing their experiences in hospital emergency rooms while under the control of their trafficker. Also on the DVD is a handbook with further information on caring for trafficking victims.

If you are a health care service provider, please contact mmayer@ecpatusa.org to obtain a free copy of the DVD. While the identiy of the victims are protected on the DVD, we are unable to offer this DVD to the general public, it is for health care service providers only.

The accompanying power point presentation, however, is available to anyone who is interested in learning more about what CSEC is and how to identify CSEC victims. Click here to download the presentation now.

This DVD is a result of a partnership of ECPAT-USA, GEMS, and Global Health Promise.

The New York Society for Ethical Culture presents a Panel Discussion on the Global & Local Atrocity of Sex Trafficking. This event is open to the public. Panel Members to include:

Stuart Perin, Author
Mara Schneider, FBI Agent, Violent Crimes Against Children Squed
Gloria Browne-Marshall, Professor, John Jay College
Dipti Mehta, Performer/Writer
Max Walker, ECPAT-USA, Associate Director

Moderated by Dr. Joe Chuman, Ethical Culture Society Leader

Click here to see the flyer

(PRWEB) May 14, 2013

Tourism promotes culture exchange and is used as a tool for economic development. Sadly, tourism infrastructure and services is also used by offenders for the exploitation of children, including child sex tourism. The Code is using an innovative approach to combat the problem by working with the tourism private sector.

To ease and assist member companies in implementing The Code’s six criteria efficiently, the organization has developed and just launched a number of ‘cloud-based’ tools for tourism professionals as a means to strengthen action against sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism. The new online services include: a member portal with easy, step-by-step guidance on implementation and reporting; interactive e-learning modules for tourism professionals from different sub-sectors and positions within the industry; and a user-friendly website to provide transparency and awareness.

“Tourism professionals are crucial allies in protecting children from sexual exploitation,” says Andreas Astrup, General Manager of The Code. “These tools were specifically developed for them. Managers can track their progress of implementation and generate reports easier, while front-line staff has easy access to free e-learning modules in local languages.”

The Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism [The Code] is a multi-stakeholder organization with the mission to provide awareness, tools and support to the tourism industry. The focus is to help tourism professionals prevent, identify and report any suspicious cases of sexual exploitation of children. Developed in 1996 by ECPAT Sweden, The Code has operated as an independent non-profit organization led by a multi-stakeholder board since 2004. Today, the network has nearly 1,300 signatories across 42 countries around the world. Some members of The Code are leading the way: Accor, Delta Airlines, Hotelplan Suisse, Kuoni Travel, Lotus Travel, Melia Hotels, Resfeber, Swiss Federation of Travel Agencies, Thomas Cook and TUI Travel.

The core instrument of The Code is the six criteria that any tourism business or company can implement and commit to: (1) establish an ethical policy, (2) train personnel, (3) introduce a related clause in contracts with suppliers, (4) provide information to travelers, (5) provide information to key persons at the destination, and (6) to report annually to The Code on the initiatives undertaken.

The Code initiative has received international media coverage including recent features on CNN and BBC.

For those interested in learning more about The Code’s work, interviews with staff are possible upon request.

US companies interested in joining the Code, click here.
International companies interested in joining the Code, click here.

Human trafficking is one of the most atrocious human rights violations of the current generation. It generates as much as $32 billion, making it the second largest and fastest growing criminal industry after drug trafficking. The issue affects children especially because of their vulnerabilities, as evidenced by the fact that an estimated 1.2 million children are trafficked worldwide. While many in the United States perceive human trafficking to be a problem of developing countries, human trafficking in the U.S. is no less severe with 100,000 to 300,000 American youths running the risk of being trafficked each year, and 25% of child sex tourists comprising of North Americans.

Private Sector Project Coordinator, Michelle Guelbart with Dean Bjorn Hanson

Activities that hospitality and hotel companies are being asked to undertake cover three major areas. First, brands are asked to draft policies against human trafficking and CSEC in their properties. Second, companies are urged to train workers to identify and respond to signs of exploitation. Last, they are encouraged to inform suppliers and contractors about anti-human trafficking and anti-CSEC policies put in place. One initiative that has emerged to support the industry in addressing the issue is the Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct or “The Code.” The Code (www.thecode.org) is an industry-driven initiative with a mission to provide awareness, tools, and support to industry members to combat and prevent the sexual exploitation of children. To-date, several major brands have become The Code signatories. These brands include Wyndham Worldwide, Carlson Companies, Hilton Worldwide, Delta Airlines, Real Hospitality Group, and Sabre Holdings.

There are a number of benefits of taking action to prevent and mitigate human trafficking including practical and risk management. By addressing the topic, brands can guard against legal, reputational, and operational risks.

In the same way that it is both ethical and beneficial for hospitality and hotel companies to answer the call to action, hospitality and tourism education programs are in a most advantageous position to raise awareness of future industry professionals regarding human trafficking and CSEC. Ensuring that there is more issue discussion and incorporating the topic in the curriculum are some of the ways to do so. Students can also advocate for innovative ways to equip their peers to tackle this human rights violation as agents of change in the industry.

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Michelle Guelbart, MSW, Private Sector Project Coordinator, ECPAT-USA, manages relationships with corporations, NGOs, and responsible investors to encourage and provide technical assistance on corporate social responsibility initiatives to protect children. Michelle has also published papers on mitigating the risk of trafficking in the travel industry. She holds a Master’s Degree from Columbia University’s School of Social Work and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University at Albany. For more information visit www.ecpatusa.org or contact the presenter, ECPAT-USA’s Private Sector Project Coordinator Michelle Guelbart: michelle@ecpatusa.org.

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ECPAT USA is delighted to announce that thanks to your help we surpassed our targeted milestone of 500 letters sent by over 250 individuals to the 2013 NY State Legislature, asking Senators and Assembly Members to pass the Trafficking Victims Protection and Justice Act (Paulin/Lanza, A.2240/S.2135). This bill would considerably increase protections for children victims of trafficking in NY State, recognizing that buying children for sex is child abuse, aligning better federal and state-level protections concerning trafficking of children, and improving victims access to social services.

ECPAT USA is deeply grateful to all individuals signing our letters and especially to the faith community, notably the Plymouth Church in Brooklyn Heights and the United Methodist Women Catskill-Hudson, that helped us spread the message to their constituents. The TVPJA passed NY Senate in March (in a version sponsored by Sen. Gallivan S.2511) and currently has over 78 sponsors in the Assembly and 18 co-sponsors in the Senate (Paulin/Lanza version). We will keep you updated with the legislative progress on the bill.

We also take this opportunity to announce the forthcoming ECPAT USA  event “Stand-Up for Children”, to take place on May 20, 6 – 9 pm at the Sky Room Times Square, NYC  highest luxury rooftop lounge. It will be an evening of stand-up comedy, unlimited wine and beer open bar, exquisite hors d’oeuvres, silent auction and raffle with stunning views of the Manhattan skyline, all while supporting the work of ECPAT on protecting children’s rights. Individual tickets start at $75, and corporate sponsorship opportunities are still available. We look forward to seeing you there!  You can get your tickets here www.ecpatusa.org/standup.

Photo: Assembly Member Amy Paulin promoting the TVPJA.

CHICAGO (May 01, 2013)—The International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association will officially join ECPAT’s efforts to end child prostitution and trafficking at the May 2 opening session of its Annual Global Convention. IGLTA is the third association to sign the Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct. The Code is an internationally accepted set of voluntary guidelines that travel companies can implement to prevent child exploitation. The Code has been signed by over 1,200 companies internationally in 42 different countries.

Tanya Churchmuch, Chair of IGLTA Board Announces Code Signing. Photo courtesy of @ECPAT_michelle

IGLTA Board Member Rika Jean-Francois, Commissioner ITB Corporate Social Responsibility, was instrumental in creating this partnership. ITB Berlin, one of the world’s leading travel trade events, signed the Code in 2011.

“IGLTA signing the Child-Protection Code sends a strong signal to its members and the tourism industry as a whole,” says Jean-Francois. “I believe that it is part of our social responsibility to speak out against sexual exploitation of children and to stand up for human rights in tourism.”

As the local Code representative in the United States, the ECPAT-USA will serve as a resource for the association and participate in the signing at the 30th anniversary convention next month. ECPAT-USA is the regional member of the ECPAT network, which works internationally to protect children from exploitation and trafficking. Private Sector Project Coordinator, Michelle Guelbart, will represent ECPAT-USA at the Code signing on May 2nd.

IGLTA invited member signatories of the Code: Representatives from Delta Air Lines, ITB Berlin, Accor Hotels, Hilton Worldwide, and Argentina. Photographed with Michelle Guelbart and John Tanzella who signed the Code.

ABOUT IGLTA: IGLTA is the leading member-based global organization dedicated to LGBT tourism. The association represents LGBT and LGBT-friendly accommodations, destinations, service providers, travel agents, tour operators, and events, as well as the LGBT travel consumers they wish to serve. For more information, visit www.iglta.org and follow us at www.facebook.com/IGLTA.

Media Contact: LoAnn Halden
Loann.halden@iglta.org
+1.954.253.4095

To learn more about joining the Code in the United States, click here.

Tuesday, April 24th, ECPAT-USA proudly welcomed the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) as a member of the Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct. The company joins ECPAT-USA in their work to protect children from sexual exploitation in travel and tourism. ACTE became the second American association to sign the Code. The Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct is an internationally accepted set of guidelines travel companies can use to implement comprehensive policies and programming to effectively prevent and mitigate child trafficking.

Carol Smolenski signs the Code with ACTE. Photo by @EndTraffick

As a signatory of the Code, ACTE will create a policy against the sexual exploitation of children, raise awareness with their members, and report annually. As an association, ACTE will use their voice to inform members about the important role they play in protecting children from exploitation.

ACTE signed the Code at their Global Education Conference where they celebrated their 25th Anniversary. The Code was signed during their Closing Session. Speakers included Sam Gilliland, Chairman and CEO of Sabre Holdings and Amy O’Neill Richard from the U.S. Department of State who introduced the issue and the travel industry’s important role in combating trafficking. Afterwards, Suzanne Neufang, President of the ACTE Board, Greeley Koch, Chief Staff Officer for ACTE, and Carol Smolenski, Executive Director of ECPAT-USA were welcomed to the stage to sign the Code.

“We recognize the need for responsibility within our industry,” said ACTE President Suzanne Neufang in ACTE’s press release. “We are dedicated to ensuring that everyone in our global ACTE network has the education and awareness to identify and report signs of human trafficking while traveling for business. Together, industry leaders like ACTE can work toward ending this abhorrent practice.”

After the signing, Carol Smolenski, Michelle Guelbart, Private Sector Project Coordinator, and Jami Day, ECPAT-USA Board Member interacted with conference participants during a Sabre Holdings sponsored a Toast to Humanity Closing Reception. ECPAT-USA informed travel buyers and suppliers about their unique roles in addressing trafficking. Sabre Holdings signed the Code in 2013 during the launch of their Passport to Freedom Project.

“Having the private industry work with the public sector, along with associations like ACTE, will assist in making great strides toward creating awareness on this important issue,” said ACTE Executive Director Greeley Koch.

How Travel Buyers Can Help End Trafficking
Buyers of corporate travel are in a position to express their interest in working with suppliers that sign the Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct. When suppliers send their Request for Proposals (RFPs) to travel suppliers they can add a line inquiring of the supplier is a member of the Code. For sample language to include in your RFP contact michelle@ecpatusa.org.

How Travel Suppliers Can Help End Trafficking
ECPAT-USA can work with your company to put in place programming to educate your staff about trafficking and how to address suspicious incidences. You can:
(1) Create a policy against the commercial sexual exploitation of children
Official policies send a zero-tolerance message to staff letting them know that they should not look away when they suspect trafficking. Staff will feel more empowered to react to their suspicions. The policy will also build a sense of pride in their company for being responsible. Sample policy is available.
(2) Engage in ECPAT-USA’s Training
Train staff about commercial sexual exploitation of children, the signs of trafficking, and your protocol for reacting. Companies can receive training certificate and acknowledgement as partners.
(3)Sign the Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct
The Code is an internationally accepted voluntary set of guidelines travel and tourism companies can implement to prevent child sex tourism and trafficking of children. Signatories of the Code are supported by ECPAT-USA to comprehensively and sustainably address trafficking.
To learn more about joining the Code click here.

The group launched E-Trip Africa in 2012, which organizes safaris and treks in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, and Tanzania. “We believe that the only way to do business is by following a strong set of principles and ethics. East Africa is not very transparent and ethics are often set aside in favor of better returns. But in today’s global society, consumers don’t want to have any part in this. By providing an ethical and transparent option, we believe this will push the entire tourism sector in a more positive and sustainable direction,” explains Mathieu Lahalle, one of the groups directors.

The sexual exploitation of children is a rampant problem in many of the most popular tourist areas in Africa. Along the Kenyan coast it has been estimated that over 30% of children (boys and girls) between the ages of 12 and 18 are actively engaged in prostitution. This number nearly doubles for those that have sold their bodies at least one time before they were 18.

“We quickly recognized that among all of the negative impacts of tourism, Child Sexual Exploitation is clearly the most harmful, having such a direct impact on our children. We are proud to lead the way towards stomping out this unacceptable behavior,” said Aurélie just before signing the Code.

As a signatory of the Code, E-Trip Africa has created a policy against the sexual exploitation of children, will train staff on the issue, and educate customers.

“We are pressing the more than 250 hotels that we do business with to implement the code,” said Ben Jennings, the General Manager of E-Trip Africa. “So far there has been a positive response and the hotels and camps seem enthusiastic to clean up the image of the area.”

To fully implement the Code, E-Trip Africa will work in collaboration with ECPAT-USA, the leading policy organization in the United States which seeks to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children through awareness, advocacy, policy, and legislation.

To learn more about the Code visit: http://ecpatusa.org/what-we-do/the-code/

For more information visit: http://www.etripafrica.com/