Office For Global Concerns

According to the International Labour Organization, more than 12 million people are victims of forced labor today; 2.45 million of them have been trafficked. Of those trafficked, two-thirds are trafficked for sexual exploitation. Some of the most vulnerable are children, primarily through prostitution and sex tourism. Events like the World Cup in South Africa, which attracted up to 500,000 visitors, have the potential to be accompanied by an increase in human trafficking. While not responsible for this crime, the lodging industry is well positioned to help by taking action to stop the use of hotels for these purposes.

In April 2010, over 300 faith-based organizations and socially responsible investors sent letters to eight companies with hotels in South Africa, asking about actions being taken to combat human trafficking and child sexual exploitation in advance of the World Cup. The letters requested that the hotels 1) create awareness among employees about human trafficking and child sexual exploitation; 2) train staff to be observant of potential victims, and should they observe anything that suggests that sexual exploitation of children may be taking place, make them aware to whom they should report such incidents; 3) build alliances with police, anti-trafficking organizations and child welfare agencies; 4) provide information to hotel guests regarding national laws and penalties imposed for trafficking and the sexual abuse of children; and 5) support organizations that help victims of human trafficking and work with governments to create and strengthen laws.

Six weeks after the letter was sent, only two hotel chains – Accor (brands include Mercure, Motel6, Formule1, Novotel), and Carlson (brands include Radisson, Country Inns & Suites) – had responded. InterContinental sent a response that did not address investors’ concerns. The others - Best Western, Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Hotels, NH Hoteles, and Starwood Hotels – did not respond to the initial communique but answered a query from the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre.

What investors found was that only three hotel companies have a human rights policy that specifically addresses child protections – Starwood (brands include Westin and Sheraton), Accor and Carlson.

Hyatt, Accor, Carlson, and NH Hoteles took action to address child sexual exploitation in South Africa. While NH and Hyatt informed staff about the issue, InterContinental, Best Western, Starwood, and Hilton did not mention taking action in South Africa to increase awareness among staff about human trafficking. Accor and Carlson/Rezidor (Carlson is the majority shareholder of Rezidor, which operates in South Africa) were most active and the only hotels with a systematic approach to address human trafficking with programs and policies on child sexual exploitation.

NH Hoteles, Accor, and Carlson have endorsed an industry-wide Code of Conduct known as The Code. Developed by ECPAT (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes) Sweden in collaboration with the travel industry, The Code asks tourism providers to pledge to help protect children from sexual exploitation. At this point, 947 companies operating in 37 countries have signed on.

Best Western, Hyatt, and Hilton do not appear to have programs or policies to combat child sexual exploitation.

A report and an analysis by Christian Brothers Investment Services of the hotel responses includes the following recommendations:

All hotels should have clearly formulated and • well-monitored policies and programs to combat child sexual exploitation. It is especially important for hotel chains to have programs in place in advance of major events and meetings that cause an influx of tourism.

Best Western, Hyatt, Hilton, InterContinental, • and Starwood should endorse The Code or implement the elements of The Code.

Accor’s U.S. chain Motel6 should sign The • Code independently, given the lack of leadership among U.S.-based hotel companies on the issue of human trafficking. Carlson is the only major chain to adopt The Code in the U.S.

Best Western, Hyatt, and Hilton should create • and implement human rights policies that protect the rights of children and condemn all forms of exploitation.

Signatories to the investors’ letter will continue their outreach to these and other hotels in order to reduce the likelihood of incidents of child sex tourism occurring in hotels.

Faith in action:

For your next hotel visit, give a letter to the front desk that states your concerns about human trafficking. To download a sample letter, check for a link on the "Women" or "Children" pages in the social justice section of the MOGC website. If you do not have access to the internet, please contact the MOGC for a copy of the letter.

To read other stories like this, visit http://www.maryknollogc.org

In early August, Ecuador signed an agreement with the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) creating a trust fund to support Ecuador’s commitment to keep 20 percent of the country’s oil in the ground and un-drilled. This development could serve as a model for protecting environmental and indigenous habitats while generating revenue. At the same time, some fear that the Ecuadorian government has created a brilliant smokescreen: While it garners praise for its progressive environmental policies it may be planning to exploit oil in other regions of the Ecuadorian Amazon.

Because oil represents 60 percent of Ecuador’s exports, making a decision not to exploit oil in the Ishpingo, Tambococha and Tiputini blocks of Yasuni National Park is quite novel. The Ecuadorian government claims that drilling in this region that is knows as the ITT–Yasuni could bring in at least $7 billion at today’s prices. Instead it is seeking contributions from donors for a $3.6 billion trust fund to protect the area.

The ITT–Yasuni initiative represents the first time an arrangement has been made that provides an incentive for a country not to drill oil. At the signing of the agreement UNDP administrator Rebecca Grynspan stated: "We are witnessing the inauguration of new instruments of cooperation, which will act as a basis for supporting other national and international efforts directed toward the search for economies that are in harmony with society, nature and the planet."

At the international climate negotiations that continued in Bonn, Germany in August, there were some active proposals for rich industrialized countries to pay less-industrialized countries to not exploit their forests, but the idea of paying countries not to develop oil reserves is extremely forward-thinking. The UNDP estimates that leaving this area un-drilled will spare the earth 400 million tons of greenhouse gases while preserving an area rich in biodiversity.

Yasuni National Park is situated where the Amazon, the Andes and the equator meet. Recently it was found to be home to more than 20 threatened mammal species, including jaguars, otters and monkeys, and several hundred bird species. Six hundred and fifty species of tree and shrub lie within a single hectare, representing more than in the entire continent of North America.

This is the first experiment in recognizing the removal of oil from the land and its accompanying environmental destruction and pollutions is actually a loss, not a gain. Ecuador has placed a price on the gift of biodiversity and asked for donors to pay to preserve that gift. So far a few European countries (Germany, Spain, France, Sweden and Switzerland) have shown interest by collectively committing $1.5 billion to the trust fund. Ecuador has been asked by Guatemala and Nigeria for assistance in coming up with similar program for their own countries.

The UNDP will administer the trust fund money to protect 4.8m hectares of land in Ecuador’s other national parks – including the Galapagos Islands – and to develop renewable energy sources and build schools and hospitals for indigenous communities.

While the idea has potential to preserve biodiversity and prevent pollution, this agreement was years in the making. Ecuador’s civil society and the Huarorani (indigenous people of the affected region) kept the idea alive with citizen action, petitions and national and internationals public opinion campaigns.

While recognizing the importance of this agreement to protect this fragile bio-region, many environmentalists and human rights activists are wary. In the past, contribution pledges have been made and not kept and commitments toward environmental protection have fallen to the wayside. All parties must be held to their word. Oil remains a major source of tension in many Amazonian communities dividing governments and people. Some fear that Ecuadorian President Correa will use the ITT-Yasuni conservation initiative as a smokescreen masking plans to open other areas of the Amazon for oil development that will offset income lost from the ITT–Yasuni closure.

September 10 -- We are thankful to learn that the proposed action to
burn the Koran on Sept. 11 has been delayed/cancelled. We pray that
those involved with conversations and negotiations around this issue
enter into them with open hearts and minds.

Around the world, Maryknoll missioners engage with people from many cultures and communities. For decades, Maryknollers have experienced hospitality and welcome from diverse societies, from people whose faith traditions and ethnic norms are quite unlike the ones we know in the United States. This has given us a sense of the deep connection between all humans, that we are truly more similar than different.

We are shaken and saddened by the fear and animosity shown toward the proposed Cordoba House community center to be erected in Manhattan. The misinformation and distorted thinking that have circulated around this issue are detriments to true reconciliation and understanding.

We are especially concerned about a planned action to burn the Koran on September 11 in protest of the community center. This is a tragic and twisted reaction, based in fear, that only destroys our human connections. Islam is not our enemy; Muslims are not our enemy.