7a Memo Anti Human Trafficking Update
COMMISSION AGENDA MEMORANDUM Item No. 7a BRIEFING ITEM Date of Meeting January 22, 2019 DATE: January 10, 2019 TO: Stephen P. Metruck, Executive Director FROM: Eric Schinfeld, Sr. Manager, Federal & International Government Relations Chad Aldridge, Veterans Fellow, Policy and Outreach Manager SUBJECT: One-year progress report on port-wide Human Trafficking Strategy implementation EXECUTIVE SUMMARY On January 9, 2018, the Port of Seattle Commission passed a motion directing staff to finalize and implement a Port-wide strategy to combat human trafficking. By taking that step, the Commission increased our organization's leadership role on this important topic, for which we not only have a moral obligation to protect residents and visitors but also a tangible role because of our status as both a large employer and as the manager of significant trade and travel facilities. We have implemented or are implementing almost all aspects of the strategy from the successful creation of an internal policy to ensure all Port employees understand our commitment to this vital equity and social justice issue, to the development of employee training through a contract with Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking. We have also developed key partnerships with other public and private sector leaders that are allowing us to maximize public awareness of human trafficking in our region including the January 17, 2019, launch of a regional human trafficking awareness campaign. January is National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, and so it is appropriate to use the January 22 Commission meeting to both update Commissioners on our progress and successes, as well as use the public meeting as another platform to raise public awareness. DETAILS The Port's human trafficking strategy has four main focus areas: 1) Training Ensuring that all employees have access to the proper training and education to understand both what human trafficking is and its impacts on our communities. 2) Communications Using port facilities and communications channels to raise public awareness of human trafficking and provide information to stop trafficking at our facilities. 3) Policies and Protocols Ensuring that Port policies prohibit engagement in human trafficking, and provide clear procedures for employees to follow to report suspicion of human trafficking and violations of these policies. Template revised April 12, 2018. COMMISSION AGENDA Briefing Item No. Page 2 of 4 Meeting Date: January 22, 2019 4) Partnerships Leveraging relationships to reduce duplication and to maximize the impact of our efforts, including collaborating with nonprofits; local, state and federal agencies; and key customers and vendors. The following are key updates on each of these four focus areas: Strategy Status Specific Accomplishments Next Steps Training In Progress The Port has held three BEST will continue trainings for Port employees implementing their (including one specifically for training strategy in Port police), reaching over collaboration with 200 employees the Port. The Port has contracted with The Port Police will Businesses Ending Slavery & continue Trafficking (BEST) to develop implementing their and conduct trainings for our training plan. employees and to create a strategy to extend these training opportunities to others who work at our facilities The Port Police Department has developed and is implementing a separate curriculum for all officers. Public Awareness In Progress In 2018, the Port held a press Continue to conference on this topic, and expand the posted signage at Sea-Tac number of public throughout January Human and private sector Trafficking Awareness Month. partners In addition, last year we participating in posted signage on airport the regional bathroom stalls sharing that public awareness the Port Police are a resource campaign. in both sexual assault and human trafficking incidents. On January 17, 2019, we launched a regional human trafficking awareness campaign including signage throughout Port facilities in partnership with the City of Template revised September 22, 2016. Template revised September 22, 2016. COMMISSION AGENDA Briefing Item No. Page 3 of 4 Meeting Date: January 22, 2019 Seattle, King County, Sound Transit and a number of other public and private sector partners. Policies & Completed The Port has finalized an The Port is Protocols Executive Policy that outlines participating in Port restrictions on trafficking the U.S. activity, which will be shared Department of as part of the training Transportation's curriculum. Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking's Protocols & Policies Subcommittee, which is working on a national recommendation by July 2019. Partnerships Yes In addition to the Continue to build partnerships developed partnerships for through the regional the regional awareness campaign, the Port human trafficking has joined campaign. Businesses Against Slavery Continue to build and Trafficking's Employer partnerships with Alliance Port vendors, King County Commercially contractors and Sexually Exploited tenants to offer Children Task Force training to those Washington Advisory who work at or Committee on Trafficking near Port The USDOT Advisory facilities. Committee on Human Continue to share Trafficking Protocols & best practices Policies Subcommittee with ports across The Port hosted the 2018 the country. Statewide Commercially Expand Port Sexually Exploited Children's activities to the Task Force Conference at the Northwest Template revised September 22, 2016. Template revised September 22, 2016. COMMISSION AGENDA Briefing Item No. Page 4 of 4 Meeting Date: January 22, 2019 Sea-Tac Conference Center in Seaport Alliance. October 2018. The Port is working with the American Association of Port Authorities to share human trafficking best practices with other ports. ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND Although slavery is commonly thought to be a thing of the past, each year millions of men, women, and children are trafficked in countries around the world, including the United States. Traffickers use violence, threats, deception, debt bondage, and other manipulative tactics to force people to engage in commercial sex or to provide labor or services against their will. It is estimated that human trafficking generates billions of dollars of profit per year second only to drug trafficking as the most profitable form of transnational crime. Here in Washington state, we are not immune from the problem. Washington had the 12th highest call volume to the National Human Trafficking Hotline in 2017. In King County, an estimated 300-500 children are prostituted annually, some are as young as 11 years old; there are over 100 websites for soliciting sex in the Seattle area, many of which are used for human trafficking purposes. As both the operator of an airport and an owner of a wide array of maritime facilities, we can help reduce the probability that our properties will be used as a transit point for traffickers and their victims. As a major employer, we can save lives by educating our staff on the damaging effect that exploitation and trafficking have on individual lives and families, and how it undermines our commitment to equity and social justice. As a public sector leader, we can collaborate with other jurisdictions, customers, vendors and partners to raise awareness of this important issue. ATTACHMENTS TO THIS BRIEFING (1) Presentation slides (2) Human Trafficking Motion 2018-01 (3) Port Human Trafficking Strategy executive summary PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS January 9, 2018 The Commission passed a motion directing staff to finalize and implement the Port's human trafficking strategy. July 24, 2018 The Commission heard a six-month update on strategy implementation, and extended key motion deadlines to December 31, 2019. Template revised September 22, 2016. Template revised September 22, 2016.
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