MECPATHS (Mercy Efforts to Counter Child Prostitution and Trafficking in the Hospitality Sector) is a campaign to raise awareness among hotel staff and those working in the hospitality sector in order to combat child sex trafficking in Ireland. MECPATHS has been endorsed by the Irish Hotel Federation (IHF) and is working with hotels across Ireland to ensure that they are safe for all children.
Who we are
Protecting Children
Evidence shows that children under 18 are sold in the sex trade, either through prostitution or in the production of child abuse material (child pornography), and this exploitation all too often happens in hotels. Hotels can inadvertently play a key role in the sexual exploitation of children as traffickers use their premises to carry out this criminal trade. Hotels can offer a level of privacy and anonymity to their guests which traffickers take advantage of in order to conduct their activities undetected.
This is why hotel staff have a crucial part to play in the prevention of this dreadful crime. When their staff are trained to recognise the signs, hotels are in a position to alert the authorities to suspected cases of child trafficking. This kind of intervention can save a child from horrific abuse. When traffickers go undetected, the children in their power are left trapped in extreme suffering, their childhood robbed. MECPATHS is working with hotels across Ireland to ensure that they are a safe place for all children.
What is Human Trafficking?
- The trade in, and exploitation of, human beings for profit.
- Estimated 21 million victims of human trafficking worldwide.
- Profit from sex trafficking globally is an estimated $100 billion.
- 80% of trafficking victims in Ireland are women and girls, the majority of whom are trafficked for sexual exploitation.
- 417 victims of trafficking have been identified in Ireland between 2009 and 2015. 122 of these identified victims were children.
- The majority of the child victims identified have been Irish, and the majority of these were trafficked for sexual exploitation.
The Gardaí, the Department of Justice, and organisations working to support victims believe these figures to represent merely the tip of the iceberg of this criminal activity. Hotels have a vital role to play in combatting this terrible crime.
Hotels
What can you do?
Hotels can help to combat this modern form of slavery by raising awareness among their staff. MECPATHS provides presentations to hotel staff around the country. These presentations:
- Inform staff of the issue of child sex trafficking
- Equip staff with the knowledge to recognise the signs of trafficking
- Outline reporting procedures for staff members to alert management and the authorities of their concerns if they suspect a child is being trafficked on the premises.
Hotels should adopt an anti-trafficking policy to reassure their staff members that any concerns they report will be taken seriously, and put in place a protocol for reporting so that all staff members know how to respond should a suspected case of child trafficking arise.
Hotels can also help to raise awareness among their guests by displaying literature about child trafficking and encouraging their guests to be vigilant and report any suspicions. This will also reassure any young people being exploited in the hotel that they will be taken seriously if they want to raise the alarm about their situation.
Hotel guests can enquire about the measures hotels are taking to prevent child trafficking on their premises before they make a booking.