The Dressember Network: Training for Frontline Workers
It is hard to visit a hotel, casino, airport, or transit station without seeing the sign: “If you see something, say something.” Yet the average person probably doesn’t know what they’re supposed to see. They just know that if they see “it”, they should tell “someone”. Again, who to tell is a bit unclear. They probably have a vague understanding that this popular adage is related to human trafficking or at least that it’s something of which to take note, but beyond that, they are probably unsure of the implications.
The fact is that the travel industry is a key conduit for human trafficking. The anonymity inherent in so much of travel lends itself to human trafficking efforts. Take, for instance, a hotel. In a hotel, everyone has access to a secluded guest room. There is nothing particularly odd about guests making use of the privacy inherent in their room, and the industry is such that guest privacy is treated with the utmost respect. Hotels are almost an ideal environment for traffickers, because they have complete, socially-sanctioned–and even encouraged–privacy while there. In a hotel, everyone is transient. No one knows anyone else, so it may not seem immediately strange that someone is quiet or keeping to themselves, or that a guest seems shy in social scenarios. If a guest does not make eye contact at the desk, checks in with someone significantly older than them, does not leave the room for days at a time, or has visitors throughout their stay, it may not seem odd.
Lodging establishments, seaports, and airports are known to be three of the most common places in which employees encounter active trafficking situations. In fact, in 2018, 80% of trafficking cases involved hotels and motels. With 13 million people working in the lodging industry, imagine the impact that education and awareness for frontline workers could have.
What changes when the front desk clerk knows the signs of human trafficking? What changes when they are able to carefully and meaningfully evaluate any signals they see so that they can contact the appropriate authorities as needed?
The Dressember Network addresses these gaps in survivor support by resourcing Training for Frontline Workers, an integral part of anti-trafficking intervention efforts. This programming aims to raise awareness and educate employees in the hospitality, maritime and aviation industries, which allows employees to learn the signs of trafficking, assist potential victims, and reduce the likelihood of exploitation.
In answer to the question “what changes,” a security officer on a maritime property said that prior to completing frontline worker training, he frequently saw incidents he suspected were associated with human trafficking when fishermen disembarked from their vessels. He once heard a man threatening someone just outside his office window, and when he walked out, he saw a young woman cowering as she was told that she must do what the man said. He did not at that time have the knowledge to deal with the situation and help that young woman reach safety. The incident has bothered him for years. Today, though, he and his entire staff have completed this frontline worker training. Something like that will not happen again.
The Dressember Network also resources a critical education and awareness program for frontline workers that educates and equips key those who are at casinos and truck stops, including the ground transportation workers that visit each of these locations, with the tools they need to help in the identification and recovery of trafficking victims. Particularly, the program focuses on connecting victims with life-saving information at all casino-related locations, including casinos, truck stops, and transit and bus operations in gaming towns. Materials used in the training resourced through this program are industry-specific and victim-focused. This allows frontline workers to get an idea of victim needs in a way that is unique and clear for their industry.
This program also provides a clear answer to the question “what changes.” Jessica, a cashier at a Sapp Bros. Travel Center, was able to apply her training in a way that led to the arrest of a trafficker and allowed a woman who had been sexually exploited to get to a safe place. Debo and Alan, two employees of TravelCenters of America, were able to use their training to facilitate the arrest of three human traffickers and the provision of exit pathways for twenty women exploited through a trafficking ring.
It is actions like those of the maritime property security officer, Jessica, Debo, and Alan that make clear the need to train frontline workers in recognizing the signs of trafficking and knowing what to do when they see those signs. It is only when frontline workers, who so often come across victims of human trafficking, are able to recognize what they see and what they should say that the “if you see something, say something” adage begins to hold real weight. It is through the actions of people who are able to spot trafficking and know what to do when they do that we can truly fight to end trafficking once and for all.
The Dressember Network is made up of 20 organizations that support programs in the following impact areas: advocacy, prevention, intervention, and survivor empowerment. The Dressember Network partners with BEST to train frontline workers in the hospitality, maritime, and aviation industries on the signs of and appropriate responses to human trafficking. BEST provides awareness, consultation, and training to employers in a variety of sectors including hospitality, information technology, oil and gas, and tourism. The Dressember Network partners with TAT to train frontline workers in the casino and trucking industries (as well as related industries, such as transit occurring in gaming towns) on the signs of and appropriate responses to human trafficking. TAT works to educate, equip, empower, and mobilize members of the trucking, bus, and energy industries to combat human trafficking. When you support Dressember, you help dismantle trafficking holistically and in a way that prioritizes survivor needs and voices. Ready to join us? Register to become an advocate (and access accurate statistics that you can share to raise awareness) or make a donation today.
About the Author
Miranda Cecil is a second-year at Northeastern University School of Law. She graduated from the University of North Carolina in 2020 (go heels!) and shipped up to Boston. As a North Carolina transplant in New England, she loves exploring her new area on the weekends. In her free time, she enjoys cross-stitching, cycling, and reading. She hopes to use her legal degree and a passion for urban development to continue advocating for human trafficking survivors (and, despite the Boston winter, looks forward to the style challenge this December).