Human trafficking, a form of modern-day slavery that involves the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of people through force, fraud, threats, or deception to use them for profit, is a pervasive problem. Globally, there are an estimated 27.7 million human trafficking victims, many of whom are children, being exploited for labour or commercial sex. It can happen anywhere we live, work, or travel, oftentimes by someone the victim knows, including family members.
As a former employee at American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) learned, simply being aware of the signs of human trafficking can be a successful preventive measure. Several years ago, she and some other colleagues on the Amex GBT Meetings & Events (M&E) team attended a conference in which one of the keynote speeches was about human trafficking. There, they learned the warning signs to be aware of, knowledge that soon came in handy.
The former employee was at the airport on her way home from the conference when she spotted what appeared to be a human trafficking situation unfolding before her very eyes. While in line at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint, she noticed a man with a girl who looked out of place. When the TSA agent asked her a question directly, the girl seemed not to comprehend and didn’t respond. She also was wearing clothing inappropriate for the time of year.
“Alarm bells were going off in her head. It just screamed to her what she had just learned at the conference,” said Mischelle Peterson, a senior account and operations manager with Amex GBT M&E who heard the account firsthand when the employee returned to the office.
Once she passed through the security checkpoint, she called the national human trafficking hotline she had taken note of at the conference. We don’t know the outcome of her deed, but seeing how effective a bit of knowledge can be in potentially preventing a crime spurred some members of the Amex GBT M&E team to take further action. They took it upon themselves to educate others at Amex GBT about the signs of human trafficking and what to do if they suspect someone is at risk.
We recently formalised this training program by launching a partnership with Protect All Children from Trafficking (PACT), which was formerly known as ECPAT. The nonprofit organisation upholds a code of conduct to stop the exploitation of children in travel and tourism. In partnership with PACT, we have committed to train 100% of our workforce by 2025.
Ties to travel
The travel and meetings and events industries are uniquely poised to address this abuse of human rights. Traffickers regularly rely on travel networks to operate, transporting victims across borders via planes, taxis, trains, and buses to evade detention by local law enforcement. In addition, human trafficking is associated with major sporting events and conventions where there are lots of people, and sexual exploitation regularly occurs in hotels, from low-budget motels to luxury resorts.
While people of all genders, ages, and backgrounds in any region of the world are potential victims of this heinous crime, traffickers often prey on members of marginalized communities and those with heightened vulnerabilities. Human trafficking disproportionately affects women and children.
The red flags
Travellers unknowingly may be a bystander of human trafficking during their journeys. To help them understand what to be on the lookout for, we’ve compiled the following warning signs from leading anti-trafficking sources:
- A person who doesn’t know which country they are in or lacks knowledge of their whereabouts.
- A person who allows others to speak for them when addressed directly.
- A minor who’s unaccompanied or travelling with someone who is not a relative or guardian.
- A person not in possession of their own passport/travel documents and has little or no personal belongings.
- A person dressed inappropriately for their age/the weather.
- A person who shows signs of neglect/abuse, such as bruises, cuts, burns, scars, or malnourishment.
- A person who exhibits fear, anxiety, or nervousness and avoids eye contact.
- Many male visitors coming and going from a hotel room.
- An adult guarding the door of a hotel room.
- A “Do Not Disturb” sign placed on the door for an unusually extended time.
If you suspect a human trafficking situation, for your own safety, never approach a suspect directly. But if you see something, say something. Report it to law enforcement, file a complaint with the hotel, and call a national anti-trafficking hotline.
Travellers can also help combat sex trafficking cases by uploading photos of their hotel rooms to Exchange Initiative’s TraffickCam app. Traffickers regularly post photographs of their victims in hotel rooms on social media platforms, dating apps, and other online advertisements. Thus, local law enforcement officials can search TraffickCam’s database to aid their investigations.
Amex GBT is committed to helping to eradicate sexual exploitation and labour trafficking.
“We have created specific, targeted training that we will be sharing with colleagues soon. Our commitment to train 100% of our workforce could potentially help a victim of human trafficking,” said Mischelle, who’s leading the program.
To learn more about the steps Amex GBT is taking to prevent and detect human trafficking in our supply chain, read our modern slavery statement.
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