HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN HOTELS MOTELS HUMAN TRAFFICKING sex

HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN HOTELS & MOTELS

HUMAN TRAFFICKING sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person performing the act is under the age of 18. labor trafficking in which force, fraud, or coercion is used to recruit, harbor, transport, obtain or employ a person for labor or services in involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.

ELEMENTS OF TRAFFICKING Action Recruiting Harboring Moving Obtaining Or Maintaining A Person *Additional actions that constitute sex trafficking, but not labor trafficking, include ‘patronizes, solicits, or knowingly advertises’ Means By Force Or Fraud Or Coercion** Psychological OR Physical **Force, fraud or coercion are NOT required to be shown for minors under 18 who are induced into commercial sex acts. ** Purpose For Involuntary Servitude Or Debt Bondage Or Peonage OR Slavery Or Commercial Sex Act

What is Human Trafficking Under Illinois Law: 720 ILCS 5/10 -9 • A person commits trafficking in persons when he or she knowingly: (1) recruits, entices, harbors, transports, provides, or obtains by any means, or attempts to recruit, entice, harbor, transport, provide, or obtain by any means, another person, intending or knowing that the person will be subjected to involuntary servitude; or (2) benefits, financially or by receiving anything of value, from participation in a venture that has engaged in an act of involuntary servitude or involuntary sexual servitude of a minor.

Illinois Law: Involuntary Servitude Illinois Law: Involuntary Sexual Servitude of a Minor

HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN HOTELS & MOTELS TYPES OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING THAT INTERSECT WITH THE HOTEL AND MOTEL INDUSTRY BASED ON THE “THE TYPOLOGY OF MODERN SLAVERY” BY POLARIS: • Escort services • Outdoor solicitation • Bars, Strip Clubs, & Cantinas • Traveling Sales Crews • Hospitality • Commercial Cleaning Services • Recreational Facilities

HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN HOTELS & MOTELS Out of a total 127 survivors who completed a survey for the 2017 study by Polaris, 100 (79%) stated that they had come into contact with hotels or motels during their exploitation. This includes: • Staying nights • 47% of respondents sought shelter at a hotel • Living there • 20% of respondents were housed by a trafficker in a hotel • 18% lived independently at a hotel • Working/being trafficked as a hotel employee (4% of respondents) • Working/being trafficked by a hotel subcontractor (3% of respondents) • Being forced to engage in commercial sex at a hotel/motel (80% of respondents)

IMPLICIT BIAS Who were you picturing as a victim? As a trafficker? Implicit bias is defined as “ingrained habits of thought that lead to errors in how we perceive, reason, remember, and make decisions” Be aware of implicit biases you may have. Victims can be of any age, gender, race and ethnicity. So can traffickers.

SEX TRAFFICKING: Identification / Red Flags for hotels & motels “The biggest [red flag], was that I was a child spending a lot of time around a specific hotel for literal years. And nobody ever asked me questions, nobody ever called the police. ” -survivor, Polaris

SEX TRAFFICKING: Identification / Red Flags for hotels & motels “I remember I had run away from one area in [the city] to another area and there was only a couple hotels I was able to stay at, just because for whatever reason they would kick us out…and would put our name on a list. So [my trafficker] knew which hotel I was going to be at. ” -survivor, Polaris

SEX TRAFFICKING: Identification / Red Flags for hotels & motels • Pays for the room in cash or prepaid card one day at a time (74% of respondents to Polaris study stated this was the case) • Checking in with no luggage • Hotel guest (potential trafficker) speaks for the other guests with them (potential victims) and carries everyone’s identification and money • Hotel guest (potential trafficker) uses inappropriate nicknames for accompanying hotel guest (potential victim) • Hotel guest (potential victim) seems disoriented, does not appear to be able to speak freely, and appears to avoid eye contact with personnel and security • Adult hotel guest is seen with many young persons or children exhibiting signs of trafficking (Polaris and Cook County 2019 Focus Groups)

SEX TRAFFICKING: Identification / Red Flags for hotels & motels • Various men are escorted to the room • Requests for isolated, private rooms or close to an exit • Hotel guest (potential trafficker) does not leave the accompanying guest (potential victim) alone • Young people are in the room during daytime hours when they should be in school • Continuously receiving and making calls from their cell phone • Hotel guest (potential trafficker) voids areas with CCTV cameras or avoids having their face recorded, e. g. uses hats and sunglasses to cover their face from the camera’s view (Polaris)

SEX TRAFFICKING: IN ROOM Identification / Red Flags • Insists on little or no housekeeping • Little or no luggage • Clothing is revealing or consists mostly of undergarments • Alcohol is ordered for guests who appear to be underage • Excess lingerie, discarded condoms and lubricants • Excessive requests for towels and sheets • Evidence of pornography • Unusual number of cell phones, laptops, cameras, used gift cards, and credit card readers (Polaris)

LABOR TRAFFICKING IN HOTELS & MOTELS Based upon information collected from 482 potential labor trafficking victims in the hotel/motel industry made to the National Human Trafficking Hotline since 2015: ▪ 100 were men and women from Jamaica ▪ 80 from the Philippines ▪ 34 from India, and ▪ 20 were potential victims from Mexico

LABOR TRAFFICKING: Identification / Red Flags for hotels & motels • Prevented from taking adequate breaks • Mentions of debt • Verbal or physical abuse or threats of harm by supervisor • Doing different work than was contracted • Living and working on-site • Forced to meet daily quotas • Forced to turn over wages • Exorbitant fees deducted from paychecks • Not paid directly (Polaris)

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR RESPONSE NEVER get directly involved in a suspected trafficking situation. DO NOT approach the potential victim or trafficker directly because it: • Puts you at risk • Puts your fellow staff at risk • Puts the victim at risk • May result in violence or cause the victim and/or the trafficker to run away

RECOMMENDATIONS IF YOU SUSPECT HUMAN TRAFFICKING MAY BE HAPPENING: • ASSESS THE SITUATION • IMMEDIATELY CONTACT THE APPROPRIATE HOTEL STAFF [Please input your hotel policy on this slide here ] • Call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888. 373. 7888 Make note of: • Date and time of suspected incident • Description of those involved including tattoos, physical identifiers, hair color, approximate age(s), etc. • Any names or nicknames overheard • Summary of the situation that prompted the report • Vehicle information if available including overall description, license plate number, and details like noticeable scratches See supplemental handout on Policy Recommendations for Hotels and Management

RECOMMENDATIONS (MANAGEMENT) • Become well-versed in signs of human trafficking. • Consider greeting all guests after 10 PM. Ask that they wait at the front desk until the guest comes to escort them. • Remember that there may be a wholly innocent explanation for behavior that appears suspicious in nature. For this reason, no single indicator should be the sole basis for action. The totality of indicators and other relevant circumstances should be evaluated when considering any law enforcement outreach. • Call the National Human Trafficking Hotline for connections to law enforcement who are trained on human trafficking in your area. • Know your local resources and the types of social services available to survivors of human trafficking in your area. • Establish a response plan involving a safe reporting mechanism • Post the National Human Trafficking Hotline for victim access in public places like restrooms • Put a variety of resources in places that may be safe, including inside the TV-guide (CCHTTF Focus Groups) • Emphasize your support to employees reporting their suspicions to make them feel comfortable. See supplemental handout on Policy Recommendations for Hotels and Management

IN CASE OF INTERACTION Don’ts Dos You are safe now. We will do everything we can to keep you safe. No one here will hurt you. We are not working with the people who hurt you and took advantage of you. We are here because we want to help you. Coming to us and working with us will help you. We are here because we want to do our best to help you and protect you. You are a victim, not a criminal. You were mistreated and your rights were violated. You did not deserve this. It is not your fault. You can trust me. Trust is established through actions. We want to make sure what happened to you does not happen to anyone else. AVOID. It can be victim blaming. The onus should never be put on the victim to prevent future crimes or violence against others.

NATIONAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING HOTLINE: Call 888 -373 -7888 or text BEFREE