Altruvistas travel partner ECPAT-USA, the leading anti-trafficking policy organization in the United States, is hard at work trying to encourage hotel personnel and travelers alike to educate themselves about the signs of sex trafficking of children.
Their latest effort is a new public service announcement (PSA). “Does Your Hotel Know?” is about child sex trafficking victims who are exploited in hotels and how the industry and travelers can respond.
The sad truth is, at least 100,000 children in the U.S. are commercially sexually exploited and as many as 300,000 children are at risk of commercial sexual exploitation each year, some as young as 12 years old.
So ECPAT-USA (which stands for “Ending Child Slavery at the Source”) is targeting hotels where such crimes often take place. The organization explains:
Trafficked victims are bought and sold in hotel rooms and exploited in prostitution. A trafficker may check into a hotel and run their business out of the rooms, unbeknownst to the employees, or use the hotel to meet with sex buyers.
According to ECPAT-USA, when asked, service providers and law enforcement agencies report that almost every single pimped victim that (they) came in contact with has been exploited at one point in hotels.
You can watch ECPAT-USA’s new PSA here:
Altruvistas and ECPAT-USA have partnered together before, including the END IT Movement, an international coalition of freedom fighters who are focused on ending modern day slavery.
We’re proud to be joining efforts again to spread the word about this important PSA, as well as on an upcoming advocacy journey to Thailand.
Advocacy Journey to Thailand With ECPAT-USA and Altruvistas
This November, Altruvistas and ECPAT-USA will be teaming up once again, this time on a trip —an Advocacy Journey to Thailand. Spots are still open on this life-changing journey where travelers will learn about the issue of trafficking and sexual exploitation.
The trip will include a visit to ECPAT International’s headquarters, based in Bangkok, where participants will meet with local ECPAT staff, advocates from other organizations, and legislators to develop a better understanding of the scope of the issue. The journey will also highlight the progress being made on the ground and the work of the NGO sector, such as vocational training, public awareness campaigns, and other preventative services.
Some relaxation and fun will be incorporated into the experience. Participants will get to travel to Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, experience wonderful cultural heritage sites and temples and enjoy fabulous food and Thai hospitality.
TAKE ACTION
- Watch and share ECPAT-USA’s new PSA, “Does Your Hotel Know?”
- Click here to see what you can do to combat trafficking and how where you choose to stay makes difference.
- Travel to advocate & learn: If you’re interested in finding out more about the upcoming advocacy journey to Thailand, click here for info.
[…] July we shared the sad truth that at least 100,000 children in the U.S. are commercially sexually exploited and as many as 300,000 children are at risk of commercial […]
[…] July we shared the sad truth that thousands of children in the U.S. are commercially sexually exploited each year, some as young as 12 years old. We told you how […]