Introduction
Every year thousands of young women and children are being trafficked and forced into prostitution and forced labour. Business travellers can be a part of the problem buying sexual services from trafficking victims, or part of the solution reporting suspicious activities and encouraging hotels and businesses to put systems in place to protect children from exploitation. The campaign "Business Travellers against Human Trafficking" exists to give you the opportunity to help change the situation for good.
topThe organisation
Business Travellers against Human Trafficking is run jointly by Oasis and ECPAT. It's aim is to give people who travel on business an understanding of human trafficking and a place to report what they see, via our website. We then connect with police forces to help free exploited women and children and also work with hotels to help them achieve an environment free of child exploitation. We offer a training course for businesses on human trafficking, so that we can all be part of the solution to this global problem.
Individual's story
After the featuring of Business Travellers against Human Trafficking on Spanish television, a tour operator contacted the campaign with details of business trips which were regularly arranging visits to under-age trafficked prostitutes. The campaign referred the matter to the police.
A man in Indonesia received a text message from a friend saying that she was in debt and her creditors were insisting that she get on a plane and be trafficked to Iraq into forced labour to pay off the debts. The man contacted Business Travellers against Human Trafficking, which made contact with the appropriate authorities in Indonesia. The woman is now safe in Indonesia.
topHistory
The vast majority of people who travel for business are horrified to discover that the trafficking of women and children for exploitation occurs. It is, therefore, our aim to inform more people about this crime and to give them an easy way to report what they have seen whilst travelling.
It is sometimes difficult to go directly to the local police to report what you have seen, so it is now possible to report via the Business Travellers against Human Trafficking website and the project will link to Interpol. After consultation with the US State Department Trafficking in Persons Office, we also now feature the phone number for US citizens to report their concerns.
topThis is what we do
1 Inform:
Business Travellers against Human Trafficking carries information about human trafficking on its website www.businesstravellers.org and regularly updated news. The project also provides information leaflets and offers a half-day training course for businesses.
2 Report:
Business Travellers against Human Trafficking invites people to sign up to support the campaign, report what they have seen via the website and also to ask the hotels they use to regularly display the information leaflets for the campaign.
3 Donate:
The project offers to connect business people to organisations working against trafficking in countries where they do business, so that they can donate money and be part of the solution to the problem.
Business Travellers against Human Trafficking has gained endorsement from the European Parliament, where it is currently hosted by Simon Coveney MEP, who is also the Human Rights Rapporteur for the parliament. The campaign is also endorsed by the FEMM committee which is the women and gender rights committee of the European Parliament.