A sex trafficking victim is suing Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, alleging that employees of a Brooklyn Center hotel knew about the trafficking but did not take steps to stop it.
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Traffickers often look for people who are desperate and in need of money. They might also target lonely individuals who are more likely to trust strangers and be influenced by them. They often approach their victims at bus stops, train stations, or the street. In exchange for work, they may offer food or shelter.
Moreover, data from the National Human Trafficking Hotline shows that at least 7.7 percent of human trafficking cases reported in 2016 were based in hotels or motels, the most common location for the abuse to occur.
Hotels and motels are critical sites for both sex and labor trafficking business operations. Many have stepped up to ensure front-line staff are well trained in identifying potential signs of sex trafficking, but potential labor trafficking occupying the rooms and within the hotel's supply chains may go unchecked.
Victims may exhibit signs of abuse, such as bruises, cuts, burns, scars, poor personal hygiene, or malnourishment. Victims usually will not engage in conversation with lodging employees. Victims commonly deny that they are victims, or need assistance.
Some of the things we're seeing are pictures — maybe a lion's head or it may be the street name of the pimp who's running a street track, said Wilkett. It could be numbers. Using certain numbers, like 16 because 'P' is the 16th letter of the alphabet — it means I'm being pimped.