Sex Trafficking Lawsuits | Hotels and businesses Linked to Human Trafficking
“Sex trafficking encompasses the range of activities involved when a trafficker uses force, fraud, or coercion to compel another person to engage in a commercial sex act or causes a child to engage in a commercial sex act.” (2022 Trafficking in Persons Report, U.S. Department of State)
Sex Trafficking is estimated to be worth $99 billion worldwide, according to the International Labour Organization. In 2022 alone, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received more than 19,000 reports of possible child sex trafficking.
Now, hotels and other businesses that have either enabled or profited from sex trafficking are being held responsible.
If you or a loved one were a victim of sex trafficking, you should contact Peiffer Wolf immediately. Our team is knowledgeable and compassionate, and we will guide you or your loved one through the entire process. You can fill out an online contact form or call 504-684-4430 for a FREE Consultation. Remember: everything you share with your lawyer is confidential.
Sex Trafficking Lawsuits | Why Hotels and Businesses?
While hotels have been named in most sex trafficking lawsuits, the hospitality industry is not the only one that can be held accountable. In fact, any businesses that profited, directly or indirectly, from sex trafficking activities can become a defendant if they did so knowingly.
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 2020 alone, 1,169 individuals were charged with human trafficking in the US. 91.9% of those charged were men, 94.6% were U.S. citizens, and 66.3% had no prior convictions. However, cases against the businesses and establishments that enabled sex trafficking to happen, either by negligence or to profit from it, were not as common. Now, cases against large hotel companies such as Hilton and Marriott are finally bringing businesses and business owners to justice. However, hotels and the hospitality industry in general are not the only ones who are being held accountable. Cases against tech companies like Salesforce have alleged that, by allowing websites that facilitate sex trafficking to use its tools, these companies could also be helping with the growth of such websites.
By not having safety and preventative measures in place, the Hospitality Industry, the Tech Industry, and even some Religious institutions are allegedly enabling sex trafficking and should be brought to justice.
If you or a loved one were a victim of sex trafficking, you should contact Peiffer Wolf immediately. Our team is knowledgeable and compassionate, and we will guide you or your loved one through the entire process. You can fill out an online contact form or call 504-684-4430 for a FREE Consultation. Remember: everything you share with your lawyer is confidential.
Sex Trafficking Lawsuits | The Reality of Sex Trafficking
“Human trafficking victims can be of any age, race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, nationality, immigration status, cultural background, religion, socio-economic class, and education attainment level. In the United States, individuals vulnerable to human trafficking include children in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, including foster care; runaway and homeless youth; unaccompanied foreign national children without lawful immigration status; individuals seeking asylum; American Indians and Alaska Natives, particularly women and girls; individuals with substance use issues; racial or ethnic minorities; migrant laborers, including undocumented workers and participants in visa programs for temporary workers; foreign national domestic workers in diplomatic households; persons with limited English proficiency; persons with disabilities; LGBTQI+ individuals; and victims of intimate partner violence or other forms of domestic violence.” (U.S. Department of State)
The National Human Trafficking Hotline received, in 2021 alone, 13,277 signals from victims or survivors of sex trafficking. (Signals can be phone calls, texts, online chat, online forms, and email).
The Department of Homeland Security lists common indicators of human trafficking that should help hotels and businesses identify it. Here are some examples:
- Is the person disoriented or confused, or showing signs of mental or physical abuse?
- Does the person have bruises in various stages of healing?
- Is the person fearful, timid, or submissive?
- Does the person show signs of having been denied food, water, sleep, or medical care?
- Is the person often in the company of someone to whom he or she defers? Or someone who seems to be in control of the situation, e.g., where they go or who they talk to?
- Does the person appear to be coached on what to say?
- Does the person lack personal possessions and appear not to have a stable living situation?
Sex Trafficking Lawsuits | FREE Consultation
If you or a loved one were a victim of sex trafficking, you should contact Peiffer Wolf immediately. We are very compassionate, and we will guide you or your loved one through the entire process. You can fill out an online contact form or call 504-684-4430 for a FREE Consultation. Remember: everything you share with your lawyer is confidential.
Sexual Assault & Sexual Abuse in the news
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