January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, culminating in the annual celebration of National Freedom Day on February 1, as proclaimed by Barrack Obama, President of the United States. In an excerpt from the Presidential Proclamation issued in late December 2014, Obama said, “we stand with the survivors, advocates, and organizations dedicated to building a world where our people and our children are not for sale. Together, let us recommit to a society where our sense of justice tells us that we are our brothers' and sisters' keepers, where every person can forge a life equal to their talents and worthy of their dreams.”

Human trafficking is a $32 billion global industry, the fastest growing and second largest criminal activity in the world, tied with arms and after drug dealing, according to the National Association of Attorneys General.

At Carlson, we have been a leader in the war against trafficking for more than 15 years. As an international hotel company, we took a strong stance against trafficking after learning that this crime against women, girls and boys can happen anywhere, even in the nicest hotels. Over the years, we have trained thousands of hotel employees on how to spot and report trafficking; worked with law enforcement to help train cops to treat trafficking survivors as victims, not felons; worked to pass Safe Harbor legislation; and committed more than $5 million in philanthropic funding to organizations that provide shelter, job skills and other services for survivors.

“We hope our experiences can serve as a model for other companies that want to take a stand and help end the scourge of human trafficking,” says Tammy Lee Stanoch, vice president of Corporate Affairs for Carlson.

President Obama called upon businesses, community organizations, families and all Americas to “recognize the vital role we can play in ending all forms of slavery,” urging action with appropriate programs and activities. While Carlson engages in human rights and trafficking prevention efforts throughout the year, the company put these actions in queue this month:

• On January 19, the company released the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group Human Rights Policy Statement, globally formalizing the tenets that guide our year-round responsible business agenda
  
  
• Tammy Lee Stanoch, Carlson’s vice president of Corporate Affairs, will be the featured guest in an hour-long segment on The Jim Bohannon Show on Westwood One radio, on Friday, Jan 23, from 10–11 p.m., Central Standard Time, to discuss human trafficking, preventative measures, and efforts underway to hold traffickers accountable, to mobilize care for victims, and to build public awareness.
  
  To listen live on January 23, view the station finder.
  To listen to a recording of the broadcast after it airs on January 23, click here.

• In other media, Tammy also penned editorials on trafficking for CNN and the Huffington Post. Links will be provided once online publication dates are known.

• On two evenings in late January and early February, volunteers from Carlson World Headquarters are making plans to prepare and serve dinner to survivors of trafficking at non-profit Breaking Free, one of Carlson’s strategic community partners, and one of the nation’s leading organizations for working with victims and survivors of sex trafficking and prostitution.

To learn more about Carlson’s activities as a responsible business, click here.