Senator Atkins Introduces Legislation to Require Hotels to Train Employees on Human-Trafficking Prevention

Senator Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) on Wednesday introduced SB 970, a bill that requires California hotels and motels to train employees how to recognize the signs of human trafficking and how to report those signs to law enforcement.

“We know that when people can spot the telltale signs of human trafficking, we get results. We’ve seen it on airplanes and in ride-sharing services,” Atkins said. “These crimes often play out in hotels and motels. If we can mobilize workers in the lodging industry, we can save untold numbers of vulnerable women and girls from slavery and long-lasting trauma.”

Human trafficking is rampant in California, home to three cities on the FBI’s list of the top 13 locations for sex trafficking – San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

Researchers at the University of San Diego and Point Loma Nazarene University have estimated that the number of people victimized each year by sex trafficking in the San Diego region alone might exceed 8,000. They also estimate that sex trafficking in San Diego County is an $810-million industry and that only 15 to 20 percent of persons committing sex-trafficking offenses are arrested. Often, these crimes go unreported.

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