Written By: SOS International
Summer is here, which means trips with friends and family are underway. Vacations are a ton of fun, but there is also a very real need to be aware of your surroundings when you are in unfamiliar places and traveling. Sex tourism and trafficking often intersect with many parts of travel and hospitality in popular vacation spots in every part of the world. Instead of staying oblivious or living in fear when you travel, build awareness to protect your family, and know what to do if you encounter trafficking activity with these tips for your next trip.
Do Your Research
Before you travel, do good research on the place you plan to travel to, specifically where you will be staying. We have heard many stories of people who booked hotels online, appearing to be regular hotels, only to arrive and discover that the hotel is a brothel or a hotel known to be frequented by trafficking activity.
It’s also a good idea to research what local organizations exist that help victims of trafficking, so you know who to turn to if you come across a victim, which we touch on later.
Be aware of who you interact with. One of the best ways to keep your family safe while travelling is to keep your personal information private when talking to strangers. Popular destination spots bring in people from all over, and many can appear friendly as they strike up conversations. This is a great opportunity to teach your children what safe interactions with strangers can look like.
Understand How Giving Can Hurt
The most common form of trafficking that you may encounter while vacationing is begging rings. There are several reasons a child is trafficked, but many children are trafficked to beg for money. It is heartbreaking to see, and although it may seem harmless to give, the money certainly does not go to these children, but to their traffickers. The money they receive only incentivizes traffickers to continue using the children, which continues the cycle of exploitation.
A better solution would be to offer to buy food or water for children who appear to be in need. Purchase it yourself and open the package – this will ensure the child gets the food and keeps the trafficker from returning it for money.
It is always beneficial to support local organizations and networks that are actively working to provide care to the people in their community.
Be Prepared
Before you leave on a trip, here are some tips to consider:
- Share your itinerary with family and friends back home so they can keep up with you in case anything seems off.
- Know the signs of trafficking. To know what signs to look out for, check out this resource.
- Find and save the local emergency and trafficking tip line numbers if available. Having the number saved beforehand saves you the hassle of trying to find it in a moment when you need to act swiftly. If you are in the US, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888
- Avoid directly intervening in a trafficking situation. Directly confronting a suspected trafficker or trying to rescue a victim on your own can endanger both your safety and the safety of the victim. If you come across a victim who escaped a trafficking situation, refer to the local organizations you’ve looked up to see which ones offer assistance for victims.
- Learn local laws and regulations, particularly in other countries, to know how to handle a given situation best in the context of where you are.
- Download the TraffickCam App (US Only), which allows you to upload photographs of your hotel room for authorities to cross-reference with their database to locate and catch traffickers.
- Research well-established NGO’s and Set aside a small budget to spend on partnering with local organizations or providing food and water to children.
It’s also important to learn about local laws and regulations around trafficking, particularly in other countries, to know how to best handle a situation. Preparing yourself with resources before your trip can help you act quickly.
See People
As you travel, you may come across someone who is being trafficked, whether they are begging for money or offering sexual services. Any interaction with a victim is a great opportunity to see the person and treat them with respect and dignity. Even when declining to give money, acknowledge their presence and politely decline. Victims are hidden behind a stigma that causes others to instinctively treat them with disrespect. Simply acknowledging them, sharing a smile, or politely greeting them can be all that is needed to make them feel seen and valued. This is a powerful way to combat trafficking by giving them a spark of hope that they are worthy of freedom.
We are thankful for your commitment to seeing the victims of human trafficking wherever you ar
