Business Best Practices to Stop Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is a transnational crime encompassing forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation. Traffickers use violence, manipulation, and false promises to lure their victims into modern-day slavery while generating billions of dollars per year in illicit profit.

Businesses play a critical role in helping mitigate this heinous crime by training their employees on how to recognize and report human trafficking indicators, recovering victims, and disrupting trafficking networks while demonstrating their commitment to community safety.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, regions, and Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT), a nonprofit organization that educates, equips, empowers, and mobilizes members of the trucking, bus, and energy industries to combat human trafficking, produced this toolkit to highlight best practices and share resources to engage the business community in helping end this crime.

Best Practices

Educate Employees about Human Trafficking

Companies should integrate human trafficking awareness into their operations to show how forced labor and sexual exploitation impact industries and society. Employers should train their employees on human trafficking indicators and have reporting protocols in place so that if trafficking is suspected, employees know what steps to take.

Adopt an Anti-Human Trafficking Policy

Companies should develop and implement a policy to ensure that they are not complicit in any practice that may constitute trafficking. This policy should apply to contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, vendors, and others.

The policy should forbid individuals from using company time, resources, and funds to view sexually explicit content or procure sex acts. It should also state that the company prohibits the use of forced labor, misleading or fraudulent practices in recruiting candidates, and coercive tactics such as confiscating identity documents (e.g., passports and immigration papers).

The policy should be conveyed in writing, outline reporting procedures, and detail consequences for violations (see Appendix A for the model policy in PDF).

Identify Spheres of Influence to Raise Awareness

Companies should evaluate their assets and leverage their business connections to promote awareness. For example, companies that sell products or provide services are well positioned to educate the public about the signs of trafficking. Companies lead by example by promoting their anti-trafficking work on their website, via social media, in sustainability reporting, and through partnerships with nonprofit organizations that are aligned with their operations and values. Trade associations host events and produce publications to educate their members on best practices.

Get Involved

• Train all employees and managers to recognize human trafficking indicators.
• Adopt and communicate policies that stand against forced labor and sex trafficking, including purchasing sex.
• Extend policies and practices to supply chains.
• Evaluate spheres of influence (e.g., partnerships, contracts, associations, and networks) to spread awareness.
• Partner with law enforcement and government agencies to investigate human trafficking.
• Educate business travelers on how to detect signs of human trafficking while they are on the road, at rest areas, and at hotels, among other places.
• Post signage to highlight the National Human Trafficking Hotline to raise awareness and reach victims.
• Provide job training and employment opportunities for survivors.
• Partner with TAT to access free industry-specific resources and devise an effective anti-trafficking strategy.

Resources

• The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Task Force to Eradicate Human Trafficking is an advisory group made up of members who work with the federal government and the private sector to develop commonsense solutions and speak with one voice. The task force raises awareness on how to prevent this heinous crime, engages in lobbying and advocacy efforts, and highlights the role of the private sector in providing employment opportunities to trafficking survivors that are sustainable in the long term.
• TAT has a library of free industry-specific training resources for the transportation and energy industries.
• TAT’s free Addressing Demand: Man-to-Man resources delve into the attitudes, myths, and perspectives that contribute to the demand for commercial sex and fuel the crime of sex trafficking. By taking preventive action, companies can demonstrate high standards of business conduct and values while mitigating risk.
• TAT staff members provide free consultation to transportation and energy companies on how to launch or augment an anti-trafficking initiative. Contact info@truckersagainsttrafficking.org to learn more.