To combat sex trafficking, one victim started an online petition to start a statute that would entail hotels, lodges, motels, resorts and inns, to raise awareness about sex trafficking and recognize the features of victims being abused. Started by Anneke Lucas, her petition was heard and got the support of over 54,000 signatures in New York.
At the moment, Assemblywoman Amy Paulin has pushed for the bill and stated that it's now on the Economic Development Committee. Travel Pulse reported Paulin as saying, "This is too important." She continued saying that officials and mostly everybody know that girls are being trafficked in hotels.
"The more awareness we can bring, the greater potential we have of rescuing them and preventing future victims," she said. She also mentioned that pimps are intelligent and try to avoid some accommodations.
According to the New York Times, possible signs of sex trafficking include guests booking multiple rooms, or rent rooms by the hour and pay up cash. Other signs can point to men accompanying young girls who may look down or does not hold eye contact with anyone. Tattoos with the markings, "Daddy's Girl," or "Daddy's Little Money Maker" are another potential signs that the people walking up in the concierge are involved with the act.
Meanwhile, a report from the Polaris has shown that trafficking in the hotel industry is becoming rampant. About 124 human trafficking cases have been reported after the victims are found in hotels and casinos around December 2007 to December 2016. Nonetheless, mostly were labor exploitation with cases reaching to 510 of them.
The hospitality businesses have found themselves a common ground of human trafficking coming from the countries of Jamaica, the Philippines, and India. Lucas shared that she, herself, was trafficked around many European hotels when she was 6 years old. She would also like to push the bill to be passed in other states like Washington.
