Prominent US hotel chains have been implicated in decades-long sex-trafficking activities, reveals an investigation by The New Yorker and Berkeley Journalism’s Investigative Reporting Program.
Over 60% of surveyed victims disclosed they experienced sex trafficking in hotels. Notably, a survivor named Anastasia detailed being trafficked at a Howard Johnson hotel in Pennsylvania. The hotel’s manager and its owning company were later convicted for aiding trafficking.
Anastasia now gears up to sue Wyndham Hotels, the parent company behind Howard Johnson. The story underscores a rising trend: victims taking legal action against hotel corporations profiting from affiliated properties where trafficking happens.
These lawsuits leverage the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, expanded in 2008, enabling survivors to sue entities benefitting knowingly, or potentially unknowingly, from trafficking.
While the hotel industry condemns trafficking, their franchise-based model complicates anti-trafficking efforts. Few franchisers cite trafficking as a reason for contract termination. Since 2015, 110+ sex-trafficking lawsuits have targeted hotel franchisers, with many cases still pending.
Affected by Trafficking? Act Now!
Victims in California can reach out to the Women’s Rights Group for guidance in pursuing legal action and securing rightful compensation. Your resilience can pioneer change. Contact us today for a free and confidential consultation.
