Hotels and Human Trafficking
We all must choose our battles. Even when you know you’ve chosen the right battle, it’s sometimes a lot harder than you imagined it would be. Case in point, in January of this year, I took a new job where we battle sex trafficking daily and the cowards behind this billion-dollar industry. It’s a job with incredible purpose and I knew there would be obstacles in doing it well. I knew our team would be on the battlefield with some of the most evil, soulless people on the planet. What I didn’t know is that we’d also be battling those who could truly help stop the problem…and, of course, the almighty dollar.
The Battlefield
The battlefield we’ve firmly planted our feet in is large and our sights are locked in on traffickers and Johns. There are other opponents out there… disinterest, laziness, budgets, selfishness, greed, etc… In reaching out to hotels over the last three months, I’ve found most to be dismissive of the need for human trafficking training. While some are simply content with feeding their employees incompetent training.
One of the unforeseen battles we face is against that lazy, dismissive, “not my problem” attitude. Not only from hotels, but from potential corporate sponsors as well.
The Call
There are a handful of corporations and wealthy individuals who have joined our fight and for them we are beyond grateful. But as a whole, our society and the corporations who fill it, have failed miserably. The opportunity to partner with and financially back a non-profit going after the worst humans on this earth, shouldn’t require a call to action. Preventing women and children from being abused and saving those who already are, shouldn’t require a plea for partnership. I shouldn’t be using my work hours writing this right now. Our team shouldn’t be spending work hours planning fundraisers.
Our time should be spent using our skills and efforts to fight the problem every single minute.
The Deal
It’s part of the deal though, right? Sometimes you just have to grind to do what’s right. Constantly hoping to pull the right heart-string, or get your message in front of the right person. That’s all well and good, but what if every person is the “right person?” What if all it takes is a heart that is capable of breaking for the innocent victims brutalized by this crime? What if you’re preaching to the choir who agrees with the message, but does nothing when called upon to sing?
As an individual, small business or large corporation here in America, the time has come. It is time to stand up, take a deep breath and sing loudly in whatever key you do best. It’s time to partner together in the most powerful harmonic war cry possible. Time to battle this problem together to prevent our most vulnerable from being entrapped by the enemy, and free those who already are.
Join the Fight
We all must choose our battles, right? Here are a few ways you can join the battle and bring the fight to human trafficking…
- Sponsor a hotel of your choice through purchasing the Guardian Seal® Training program, which will train all employees to recognize and properly report incidents of human trafficking.
- Seal all the hotels in your city – Create a ‘Sealed City’ by partnering with other businesses to train hotel staff in your city.
- Donate to the Guardian Group. Your donation will go directly toward our operations. It allows our offense, made up of former elite military intelligence personnel to use their skills. Allows them to partner with local Law Enforcement to compile a case, arrest and prosecute traffickers.
The time to choose your battle is now. Fight for the innocent and become a Guardian of Life & Liberty.