Mecpaths

Hotels across the country are frequently targeted by traffickers and used by them to facilitate trafficking.

Hotel staff have a vital role to play in preventing the sexual exploitation of children and young girls because hotel staff are among those on the frontline most likely to encounter a victim of trafficking. Hotels are a common venue for prostitution and prostitution is the context in which sex trafficking happens. It is of vital importance that staff understand this issue and know the signs of trafficking because if staff can help to identify a victim, they can cause an intervention that could save somebody’s life and help to stop this horrific human rights abuse.

Hotels have an obligation to ensure the safety and welfare of all their guests:

Hotel management should always involve the Gardaí immediately if there is a suspicion that a child or a young person is in danger of being sexually exploited.

We recommend that staff follow the procedures for reporting in the hotel. If staff members have a suspicion they should report their concerns immediately to their line manage. The duty manager and/or general manager should also be promptly alerted and they can consult with other members of staff to see if there are grounds to call the Gardaí.  Gardaí should then be contacted as quickly as possible.

It is far better for a hotel to report their suspicions to the Gardaí and be wrong, than to not report them and let a victim of trafficking walk out of a hotel into continued abuse and suffering.

In Ireland the purchase of sex is now illegal. However the individual selling sex will not be criminalised. This will allow vulnerable young women to come forward and seek help. It targets the demand and purchase of sex. These means that if you suspect a young woman is being trafficked that you can report it and know that she will receive help and support but that those benefitting from her exploitation will be prosecuted.

The most important thing is to Do No Harm. Nobody is expecting a member of staff to make a direct intervention themselves. You are more likely to do more harm than good. It is not up to the hotel to make any allegations; it is just up to you to report suspicions to the Gardaí. It is the Gardaí who will decide whether there are grounds for an allegation and an intervention.

Gardaí will be discreet.  We would recommend that Hotel management invite Gardaí to the hotel to meet the staff and establish a good working relationship. This will facilitate the exchange of important information and make it easier to report an incident involving a vulnerable young person or any incident should one occur.

Any member of the public can report a suspected case of trafficking including another guest or someone using the hotel restaurant or facilities.

The Gardaí are responsible for making a judgement as to whether there are grounds for intervention. They can be contacted through:

The local Garda station  or Crimestoppers  on 1 800 25 00 25 or by dialling 999

Victims of child trafficking need immediate care, which often includes medical treatment.

Hotels can place a leaflet in rooms highlighting that they are an anti-trafficking hotel, that their staff have received anti-trafficking training and provide include the emergency number for a guest to call if he/she is being trafficked. MECPATHS can you with this leaflet if necessary.

Sign The Code of Conduct developed by ECPAT.  The CODE of conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism was developed by ECPAT. ECPAT is is a global network dedicated to protecting children. It coordinates research, advocacy and action to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children.