Human Trafficking Focus of AHLA’s New Advisory Council

July 20, 2023

Human trafficking has gained a new adversary in the AHLA Foundation’s inaugural No Room for Trafficking Advisory Council. The council was formed to help guide the hotel industry’s efforts to end human trafficking.

The AHLA Foundation has formed its inaugural No Room for Trafficking (NRFT) Advisory Council, a high-profile group of hotel and lodging industry leaders, to help guide the hospitality industry’s efforts to combat human trafficking. The new council will help shape and support the work being done by the AHLA Foundation’s No Room for Trafficking program, which is designed to bring the hospitality industry together to develop and implement anti-trafficking efforts. The AHLA Foundation is the charitable giving arm of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA).

Among the tasks the council plans to tackle are guiding the industry’s unified efforts to provide support and critical resources to survivors, including the development and oversight of the NRFT Survivor Fund. Council members include leaders from Hyatt Hotels Corp., IHG Hotels & Resorts, Red Roof Franchising, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Hilton, Sonesta International Hotels, Marriott International, and Host Hotels International, among other top brands in hospitality.

“The esteemed group of leaders we’ve assembled as part of our inaugural NRFT Advisory Council underscores the hotel industry’s deep commitment to fighting human trafficking,” said AHLA Foundation President Anna Blue.“With their leadership alongside AHLA and the AHLA Foundation’s steadfast commitment to this effort, we will continue to work across our industry on critically important human trafficking prevention efforts.”

AHLA’s NRFT program, through a partnership with Protect All Children from Trafficking (PACT, formerly known as ECPAT-USA), already has provided support to train more than 800,000 hotel employees on how to identify and report suspected human-trafficking activity, as well as continue to build awareness among the hotel community. The Your Role in Preventing Human Trafficking training, which is available free of charge through ECPAT-USA, is available in 17 languages, can be integrated into corporate LMS platforms, and can be taken either digitally or in person. A new training program called Recognize & Respond: Addressing Human Trafficking in the Hospitality Industry, includes scenario-based, interactive learning, and offers distinct learning paths designed for associates and managers. This new course is only available online.

This Survivor Fund, which already has raised $3.4 million since it was started last year, provides resources to community-based organizations so they can more effectively engage and support survivors and their families. The AHLA Foundation also has committed to match NRFT Survivor Fund contributions up to $5 million. Later this summer, the NRFT Advisory Council plans to announce the first group of Survivor Fund grantees at the NRFT’s second annual NRFT Summit.

The AHLA Foundation also provides several industry-specific resources, including a Member Resource Guide, to help those who work in hotels identify, report and prevent human trafficking, as well as build community awareness around the issues. It also hosts events aligned with National Human Trafficking Awareness month (January) and World Day Against Human Trafficking in Persons (July 30).

Learn more at the AHLA Foundation NRFT website.