Marriott Expands Training For Identifying Human Trafficking

Marriott International MAR is launching an updated version of its program that trains its staff to recognize potential indicators of human trafficking on its properties.

What Happened: Beginning on July 30, World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, Marriott will expand the training program it began in 2016 with the nonprofits ECPAT-USA and Polaris.

The expanded program will involve the development of storyboards and scenario-based modules based on calls to Polaris’ National Human Trafficking Hotline, with the goal of identifying potential trafficking and ensuring the well-being of victims of this multinational crime.

The new training was developed in collaboration with survivors of human trafficking. Marriott said it would to donate this training and collaborate with ECPAT-USA and the American Hotel and Lodging Association Foundation to make it available to U.S. hospitality industry in early 2022.

"As an industry that cares deeply about human rights and the horrible crime of human trafficking, we have a real responsibility to address this issue in a meaningful way," said Anthony Capuano, CEO of Marriott International. "The updated training empowers a global workforce that stands ready to recognize and respond to human trafficking and allows our company to live up to our core values."

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What Else Happened: In announcing the updated training, Marriott acknowledged the COVID-19 pandemic made it more difficult to identify potential trafficking indicators due to the increase in contactless and mobile hotel experiences.

Earlier this month, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) issued a study that detailed how the pandemic changed the dynamics of this crime, with traffickers increasing their entrapment via online recruitment and victims becoming more susceptible to COVID-19 due to the conditions of their captivity.

“This study is an important new resource for policy-makers and criminal justice practitioners, as it examines successful strategies to investigate and prosecute human trafficking in times of crisis,” said UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly. “It also provides recommendations on supporting frontline responders and victims and building resilience to future crises.”