Mari L. Snyder serves as Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility at Marriott International, Inc.
This summer, we at Marriott International are starting to roll out new, comprehensive training to educate associates on how to identify and respond to signs of human trafficking. Our work on this issue began nearly a decade ago. We crafted our own original training for our employees when there was little available for the industry, and now, we are expanding our efforts in collaboration with others.
We live in a time when law enforcement authorities, non- governmental organizations (NGOs) and government entities around the world are dedicating more resources to combatting human trafficking, which is estimated to be a $150-billion-a- year criminal enterprise. Laws like Great Britain’s Modern Slavery Act of 2015 require companies to publicly report their efforts to combat trafficking. And, more and more governmental entities recognize the increased risk for human trafficking to take place during large, public gatherings – such as major sporting events – and are taking steps to address it proactively.
As a global hospitality company with values that include a commitment to “put people first” and “serve our world,” we can play an important role in educating and training our associates to be alert for those who may be vulnerable.
We took a two-pronged approach with our new training. First, we educate our associates– front desk
associates, safety and security personnel, housekeepers, restaurant servers and others — to recognize the signs of suspected trafficking, and report suspicious activity to a supervisor. Second, supervisors are instructed to look into the situation and, where appropriate, contact law enforcement. As part of our training, we also encourage hotel management to forge stronger ties with the local law enforcement authorities to ensure they have the resources they need to appropriately address any potential incidents.
