'This is about both protecting hotel staff but also ensuring that the hospitality sector is an active part of the movement to address human trafficking'
It’s not like in the movies — people aren’t necessarily handcuffed to radiators — but human trafficking is a serious issue that needs addressing, according to Julia Drydyk, executive director at the Canadian Center to End Human Trafficking (CCEHT).
And that’s why new training called “Not in Our Hotel” for staff at hotels across Canada is so important.
“If the hospitality sector were really to take leadership in this, it's not just about identifying potential human trafficking on their premises or through their businesses — these are also mothers and fathers, aunts, uncles, family members that are now being equipped with information, or unfortunately, they might even see it in their community,” she says.
“The overall ripple effect of this type of education and awareness could actually be huge, which is why it's so important.”
Hotels and human trafficking
The free, online “Not in Our Hotel” training is being offered by several provincial hotel associations.
Just by nature of the business, hotels can be a location where criminals attempt to perpetrate this kind of activity, says Tracy Douglas-Blowers, president and CEO of the Alberta Hotel & Lodging Association.
“Our association in Alberta has done work in the past around educating our members about the issue of child sexual exploitation, and we really felt that it was timely and important to update that information based on new trends and ensuring that… not just our members, but hotels across the province are doing their part to prevent and detect this kind of activity from occurring.”
The level of awareness around human trafficking in Canada is incredibly low, says Drydyk, citing research by the CCEHT that found 85% of Canadians think trafficking is bad and want to do something about it — but 95% feel like they need more tools both to understand it and know what to do.
The centre’s research has also found that traffickers are systematically using human trafficking corridors to move their victims across the country, to make as much money as possible off of the crime, and “to keep their victims isolated, dependent on their trafficker, to avoid law enforcement, but also to make sure that their victims didn't know where to go for help,” she says.
“Overwhelmingly, hotels and short-term accommodations are the spaces where human trafficking is taking place. Unfortunately, this is prevalent across the hospitality sector.”
Plus, many people are looking for the wrong signs, which is why this training is critically important, says Drydyk.
“Number one, so that hotels and workplaces can better detect when human trafficking is taking place, but also [number two] so that they're equipping their staff with tools to be able to respond in a safe way.
“It is incredibly dangerous for an individual to intervene on their own, and in fact, the training discourages that. So, really, this is about both protecting hotel staff but also ensuring that the hospitality sector is an active part of the movement to address human trafficking in Canada.”
Training on signs of human trafficking
The “Not in Our Hotel” training includes:
- online courses for hotel employees, with certificates of completion
- posters and reference materials for quick on-the-job reminders
- guides for hotel owners and managers to implement policies and best practices.
“We really wanted to give frontline staff and managers and supervisors the tools they needed to be able to apply a little bit of discernment and then make a decision as to whether this is something legitimate or something law enforcement needs to be alerted to,” says Douglas-Blowers.
The association has created a suite of resources that hoteliers can use to educate staff about what to watch for and what to do if they see something that causes concern, she says.
“Hotels are 24-7 businesses. We see all manner of people coming and going for all kinds of different activities, and odd things can happen in hotels that might give someone pause. We want to equip people to think about ‘If something doesn't look right to you, talk to your manager, talk to your supervisor, let them know what you've seen.’”
Douglas-Blowers admits that it can be a difficult area, because some behaviours may look odd but are actually quite legitimate, and vice versa.
“There can be things that look perfectly normal, but maybe when you get into somebody's hotel room for daily housekeeping, you see things that concern you. Or it could even be something as simple as a room service delivery… where you get a vibe from a situation that just doesn't sit right.”
Human trafficking and sex trafficking are relational crimes that look more like intimate partner violence than kidnapping abductions, says Drydyk, “so the signs can actually be very nuanced.”
As a result, it's very rarely that "rescue efforts" are successful, she says.
“Really, it is about the individual understanding that they're in an abusive situation and then understanding that there is help available.”
Drydyk adds that there is a Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline (833-900-1010) available.
Employee safety considerations
Another important part of the initiative and training is recognizing that there's a duty to ensure that employees are kept safe, says Douglas-Blowers.
“If this kind of criminal activity is occurring, obviously [we want] to help them report it in a way that doesn't put them in jeopardy, doesn't put guests in jeopardy, and, most importantly, doesn't put people who may be victims of this crime in jeopardy.”
Without this kind of training, there’s the risk an employee does something that's “incredibly dangerous, where the ramifications are even worse,” says Drydyk.
“It’s really hard, as human beings in this world, if you're seeing someone in distress, not to do something. It is better that we provide training and have systems so that they don't have to do it on their own or put themselves in a position of danger or potentially create greater liability for the company.”
Unfortunately, minors are also being trafficked, and there is a legal duty to report and to intervene, she says.
“The training helps equip staff with the information about when it is legally required to intervene, when law enforcement need to be called, not for individual staff to take this on themselves, but to call in the appropriate resources to support someone [and] also to pick up on the signs, understand what an appropriate response would be, and ideally to connect people with resources or to provide tips where is appropriate.”
Management-level training on human trafficking
The “Not in Our Hotel” training is divided into sessions for employees and for supervisors and managers.
That’s important because front-of-house employees should not be taking this on by themselves, says Drydyk.
“It is unsafe, it is inappropriate. At the management level, that is really where they take more stewardship of the policies and practices, knowing when to call on law enforcement, how to engage security, also then reaching out to additional local resources.”
If managers or even owners do the training, they will see that this is also about mitigating risk, she says, and “preventing people from taking matters into their own hands directly, rather than creating greater risk for their companies.
For managers, it’s about responding to the immediate issue that's being raised, and talking with your staff, says Douglas-Blowers. That’s because if there is an incident reported, depending on what the situation is and who's involved, it can be something that is upsetting to staff.
“[It’s about] how do you do that in a way that is sensitive to their concerns, recognizing that there's a business, and also respecting the privacy of people who might be victimized and those who are involved?”
In 2023, an Ontario court dealt “head on” with allegations of human trafficking in the employment context.
Supporting employees through trauma of training
In describing the training, potential registrants are advised that some content may include material that is “distressing, graphic, or emotionally intense” and could trigger strong emotional or physical responses, such as anxiety, distress or discomfort:
“Viewer discretion is advised. If you are sensitive to or have experienced trauma related to any of the topics covered, we encourage you to approach this training with caution. Should you feel overwhelmed or in need of support during or after the course, please seek guidance from a mental health professional or counselor.”
That might sound distressing to employees, but without this training, they are being subjected to that trauma without any support, says Drydyk.
“If someone is suspecting that there is a gross form of abuse taking place right in front of them, and if their company isn't there to support intervention, then it actually leaves people in a very vulnerable space, both in terms of their potential safety, but also their emotional and psychological well-being.
“So… we do need to let people know that the content is triggering, but as a society, we also need to be open to having these tough conversations, because whether we like it or not, it's happening all around us, and it's happening in hotels across Canada.”
Voluntary versus mandatory?
At this point, the “Not in Our Hotel” training is voluntary, but Douglas-Blowers says she hopes that every hotel employee will participate.
“We are distributing these resources to all hotels, regardless of whether they're members or not, because we strongly believe that this is an issue that transcends whether you're a member. All hotels need to be educating their staff to ensure that their staff, their guests, and victims are appropriately supported so that we can eliminate this crime.”
In addition, some hotel brands have made this training mandatory as part of onboarding for staff, she says, and it’s a good idea to hold a refresher course for all employees mid-year.
“It's a good opportunity to just open a dialogue — the more open you are about the conversation, the easier it is to have, and the more you can reinforce to your staff that the right thing to do if you see something that doesn't feel right is to escalate that concern so that it can be investigated further.”
Drydyk says she would love to see the training be mandatory across the board.
“While there's no legislation in place, we would love individual hotels to ensure that their teams are being trained on this at least annually. It can't just be once. It needs to be ongoing and part of their general security protocols and practices. But if we don't see the type of uptake that we would want across the hospitality sector, then we would look to legislation to require it, given the importance that it has for the safety and well-being of Canadians overall.”
