Human trafficking is a problem across the country, but especially in the province of Ontario, where there are more cases than the national average. Here's how one sector is doing its part to crack down on the crimes.

Ontario

Hotels and motels in Ontario, particularly in the Windsor-Essex region, are participating in a national program called Not In Our Hotel, which provides free training to staff on how to recognize and report signs of human trafficking. The initiative is especially relevant for Windsor due to its status as a border city and travel hub, increasing its risk profile for trafficking activities.

While larger hotel chains have already implemented such training, the current focus is on engaging smaller hotels and motels that may be less aware of the issue. Staff are encouraged to observe warning signs, such as guests paying in cash or exhibiting fear, and to report suspicions rather than intervene directly. Advocates highlight the importance of hotels in identifying trafficking cases, as many victims are moved through these establishments.

How the hotel industry is trying to fight human trafficking

There's a push to get local hotels and motels to train their staff to recognize human trafficking cases and on what to do next. And here's why one hotel sector leader says it's particularly important in Windsor-Essex. Windsor's location as a border city and travel hub puts us at greater risk so this is being proactive and protecting vulnerable individuals. It's a free program called Not In Our Hotel and it's a national movement. Patel is now making a push to get more Ontario and Windsor-Essex hotels on board. Unfortunately hotels can often be used for this kind of activity without the staff even realizing it so the push is more to offer the training and tools that they'll need to spot these things. He says most big chains are already trained in spotting trafficking so they're now trying to target smaller hotels and motels that might not be as aware. Spot the signs, you know, things to look for and we don't want you to take action on it. We want you to kind of like report and escalate it so that the issues are addressed. Signs like someone wanting to pay in cash, a lot of traffic in and out of a particular room, looking out for signs of fear. Shelley Gilbert is the executive director of legal assistance of Windsor and has worked closely on these kinds of cases. She says many people being trafficked are moved through hotels and motels. It's a place where people are often brought to temporarily, maybe working out of that hotel or they may just be there before being moved someplace else. So, you know, they're an important piece of the ability for us to recognize what's happening in our communities and reach out to survivors. As for how prevalent trafficking is in Windsor-Essex, Gilbert says it's not so different from other communities. We have a very large number of temporary farm workers in this community. You know, we are part of the 401 corridor. That's something for us to think about. Whether that means that we're a hotbed, I'm not sure of. But it's certainly important for us to recognize that those circumstances for people, those particular industries that they're working in, could all be susceptible to human traffickers. For the Hotel Association, this is an ongoing push, with a particular focus on Windsor-Essex that's going to continue in the coming months. Katerina Georgieva, CBC News, Windsor.

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