Sex trafficking is a heinous crime, but the good news is that you don’t have to be a first responder or work for an anti-trafficking agency to make a difference in this fight. There are many professions that directly intersect with trafficking victims, and if properly trained, these people can become part of a Community Watch to supplement the work of law enforcement and direct service agencies.
Rescuing Hope has two programs to provide this invaluable training:
75% of survivors surveyed in 2018 reported coming into contact with hotels while being trafficked and 94% said they never received assistance, concern, or identification from hotel staff.
There are some in the hotel industry who are blatantly involved in the sex trafficking industry, who profit from turning a blind eye to the victimization happening in their hotel. But there are so many more who are unknowingly contributing to the success of the trafficker’s business because employees don’t know what to look for or what to do if they have suspicions.
Rescuing Hope provides training for those in the hospitality industry so that they can see what is In Plain Sight. What they learn:
- What sex trafficking is and how it operates.
- How to recognize the indicators of a potential sex trafficking victim.
- How to recognize the indicators of potential sex trafficking activity.
- What management can do to fight sex trafficking.
- How to access resources for help.
The hotel industry is ground zero. Susan shared the common indicators to look for, the terms used and the statistics in a powerful message and encouraged us to take action.
Chief Operating Officer | Hospitality Association
It’s a fact: we’re all more relaxed at home.
We drop the social mask and maybe we’re a bit messy. If we have friends coming over, we’ll tidy up and put that social mask back on. But for some reason, we don’t do this when people come in to do a job. We don’t feel the need to impress them. Professionals who go into homes as a part of their work are in a unique position to observe people with their guards down, including sex traffickers and their victims.
In-home service professionals can play a part in someone exiting the life of sexual exploitation by being aware of their surroundings, looking for indicators, and reporting their concerns. Behind the Door provides the simple insights and tools needed to be a key in the fight against sex trafficking. What they learn:
- What sex trafficking is and how it operates.
- How to recognize the indicators of a trafficking victim.
- How to recognize the indicators of trafficking activity.
- What trauma does to the brain and how this can affect a victim’s thinking and behavior.
- How to access resources for help.
Professionals who work in salons have a unique opportunity to interact with trafficking victims for two reasons:
- The victim’s appearance is the trafficker’s packaging, and he wants it to look appealing.
- For some reason, when we sit down in a salon chair, we relax and open up. We’ll sometimes tell the person working on our hair, face and nails things we don’t even tell our families!
Salon professionals who know what to look for and what steps to take if they have suspicions can be a key in the fight against sex trafficking. By paying attention, they can potentially play a part in someone exiting the life of sexual exploitation.
What they learn:
- What sex trafficking is and how it operates.
- How to recognize the indicators of a trafficking victim.
- What trauma does to the brain and how this can affect a victim’s thinking and behavior.
- How to access resources for help.