It’s a Penalty Publishes Impact Report from Super Bowl LVI Campaign

(06 May 2022, 12:10 +07)  Due to the prevalence of human trafficking crimes around major sporting events, the international nonprofit organization It’s a Penalty (IAP) launched an extensive awareness and prevention campaign before Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles in February, and has now released its Impact Report stemming from those efforts.

Highlights include:

- 14 children were identified in Los Angeles who were on the list of missing children;

- 8 minors were rescued from sexual exploitation in Los Angeles;

- Nearly 500 traffickers statewide were arrested, with more than 200 arrests made in the Los Angeles County area alone;

It’s a Penalty has published its Impact Report from Super Bowl LVI campaign in Los Angeles

- The National Human Trafficking Hotline reported a 20 percent increase in calls before the Super Bowl compared to the same time the previous year;

- More than 420 hotel staff took anti-human trafficking training to help spot signs of exploitation; and

- Over 450 area-hotels received trafficking awareness kits including It’s a Penalty posters in English and Spanish with hotline numbers and missing children lists.

The year’s campaign also coincided with National Human Trafficking Prevention Month in January and kicked-off at the Hotel Indigo Los Angeles Downtown.

The event brought together organizations across the hospitality industry to discuss combatting the issue, including Hotel Association of Los Angeles, California Hotel & Lodging Association, American Hotel & Lodging Association, representatives from several major hotel companies and anti-human trafficking organization A21.

Local officials including U.S. Representative Karen Bass (D-CA 37th) and California Attorney General Rob Bonta shared video messages of support for the campaign’s efforts and recognized the hospitality industry for tackling the issue on the ground. Recognizing the importance of awareness as a means of prevention, the event concluded with a live anti-human trafficking training with more than 420 hotel associates taking part virtually and in-person.

Elie Maalouf, CEO, Americas, IHG Hotels & Resorts, said, “IHG is proud to partner with It’s a Penalty to not only raise awareness of human trafficking and all its forms, but more importantly, share the ways we can all prevent these terrible crimes from happening. We are taking a strong stance in partnership with our owners, elected officials and others in the industry to condemn this exploitation and drive change. This focus is paired with a commitment to training colleagues, and the diligence of every single hotel colleague – from parking attendants to the front desk to housekeeping – to help keep trafficking out of our 6,000 IHG-branded hotels.”

Through its partnership with both ECPAT and Polaris, two other leading anti-trafficking organizations, IHG supports various initiatives around education, raising awareness, supporting survivor programs and more.

You can download the 16-page, 6.4 MB IAP Impact Report from the Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles campaign in .pdf format here.

See more about: Trafficking.