Human trafficking is a scourge that all citizens can detest. It’s also a focus for law enforcement and organizations that seek to assist and rescue those caught up in modern-day slavery.
Hotel employees can aid in this effort, and they are increasingly being trained to detect signs of human trafficking.
According to a 2016 University of Texas at Austin report, 78,996 minor and youth are victims of human trafficking and 234,457 victims of labor trafficking in Texas at any given time, totaling 313,453 victims of human trafficking.
John Nehme
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John Nehme, president and CEO of Allies Against Slavery, said the indications of such criminal behavior and abuse of vulnerable people are apparent, especially if proper training is provided.
“Many people believe that human trafficking only happens to someone else, somewhere else far away from their own communities,” Nehme told Austin Journal. “Trafficking is intimately connected to existing industries and economic systems. The hospitality industry is one of those industries, and hotels are a common venue where traffickers exploit their victims.
“Pimps and traffickers can use hotel and motel rooms to set up ‘dates’ between victims of sex traffickers and individuals buying sex. Victims of labor trafficking can be exploited through hotel workforces such as cleaning, groundskeeping, and restaurant staff or through product supply chains. Hotels may be unaware of the hiring and employment practices of contractors.”
Hotel employees are being taught to look for signs of trafficking, Nehme said.
Polaris and Businesses Ending Slavery & Trafficking (BEST) have excellent resources and training specifically for the hospitality industry.
Some of the signs to look for include:
Sex trafficking: Paying for room in cash or with pre-paid card. An extended stay with few possessions. Requests for rooms overlooking a parking lot. Presence of excessive drugs, alcohol, sex paraphernalia. Excessive foot traffic in/out of hotel room. Frequently requests for new linens, towels, and restocking of fridge. Guests who exhibit fearful, anxious or submissive behavior.
Sex and labor trafficking: No control of money, cellphone or ID. Restricted or controlled communications. Signs of trauma, poor hygiene, malnourishment or fatigue. No freedom of movement, constantly monitored.
Labor trafficking: Prevented from taking adequate breaks. Doing different work than contracted. Living and working on-site. Forced to meet daily quotas. Forced to turn over wages. Exorbitant fees deducted from paychecks. Not paid directly.
HB 390, signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on May 18, requires training for hotel and motel employees, and that the Office of the Attorney General provide signs that hotels can post with reporting information.
The National Human Trafficking Hotline – 888-373-7888 – is one way to report suspected abuse. In an emergency, people should call 911. Employees can also contact the Texas Attorney General's Office.
It’s important to get involved, Nehme said.
“Human trafficking thrives when it remains hidden and overlooked,” he said. “This law means more people working in a well-known industry where trafficking occurs will be trained to identify exploitation and safely intervene. Effective identification can make all the difference for victims of trafficking, and this law will mean more vulnerable people's freedom and dignity will be protected in Texas.”
Ciara Hall, a Texas Public Policy Foundation Legislative Fellow, said the hospitality industry is highly utilized by human traffickers due to the privacy of hotels and motels.
“They take advantage of the ease of anonymity by paying in cash and multiple entrances away from the front desk that allow them to bring people in and out that potentially no one would ever see,” Hall told Austin Journal. “The high use of hotels for human trafficking hubs creates the need for hospitality employees to be trained in recognizing the signs.”
Based on the provisions of HB390, the Texas Attorney General’s Office will create a list of approved training courses that comply with the new statute, she said.
“Currently they offer an educational video in their campaign against human trafficking called Be The One: In the Fight Against Human Trafficking. In this video they list out red flags to watch for in sex and labor trafficking,” Hall said. “The sex trafficking red flags are identified as unexplained injuries, branding or tattoos, hotel keys, rolls of cash, multiple phones or refillable gift cards, sexually provocative clothing inappropriate for weather or situation, unable to make decisions without approval, and claim of older boyfriend or girlfriend.
“The labor trafficking red flags listed are working excessively long or unusual hours, living where they work or in large groups, transported to and from work by their employer, identification documents held by a third party, not allowed or able to speak for themselves, and fearful of authorities,” she said.
Hall said this new law will have a positive impact.
“California requires the same training that Texas seeks to implement starting Sept. 1, 2021, and according to California Hotel and Lodging Association, the state saw an increase from 8% to 44% in trainees recognizing a trafficking incident within the last year,” she said. “Knowing that the legislation has increased prevention since being implemented in another state, I see that our hope is for Texas to follow this same trend, occurring in Texas so therefore, identifying more victims, getting them connected to the services they need, and creating safer communities within the state.”
According to the San Antonio Report, associations including the Texas Hotel and Lodging Association have long encouraged Texas lawmakers to institute training sessions aimed at human trafficking prevention and reporting. The THLA also pushed for a state bill mandating these trainings.
Christy Spalding, a director of the Texas Hotel and Lodging Association, who has assisted in human trafficking prevention training for hotel employees, recently offered encouragement for hotel employees equipped with the knowledge to fight trafficking.
“You guys on the front line can make a tremendous difference,” Spaulding said.
According to trafficking awareness trainer and THLA director Carolyn McCall-Squires, hotels have been susceptible to human trafficking-related lawsuits in recent years. For example, three Houston-based trafficking victims sued hotel chains in 2019, arguing they did not do enough to prevent trafficking.
The new mandatory training for hotel employees will help mitigate such lawsuits.
It’s not just employees, Nehme said. Hotel guests – anyone who ever stays at, eats at or visits a hotel – also has the opportunity to observe if trafficking is occurring and call the National Human Trafficking Hotline,” he said. “We each can be an extra set of eyes and ears.”