The global fight against human trafficking will receive a significant boost from the collective support of unions involved in the global tourism and transportation industries.
On Tuesday, the Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union (ABWU) won the support of the Tourism Services Section Conference of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) to approve a motion aimed at eradicating human trafficking in the tourism industry and across its supply chains.
The ABWU put forward a convincing case that outlined the vital role the tourism sector should play in preventing human trafficking linked to tourism. The Union noted that according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), more than 40 million people around the world are victims of human trafficking on any given day.
In presenting the motion, the ABWU referenced the need to strengthen ongoing efforts by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) to fight exploitation and human trafficking in tourism. The motion also served as a response to a challenge from the World Travel and Tourism Council “to enhance understanding of the issues surrounding human trafficking, as many common misunderstandings and wrongful perceptions remain.”
The motion paves the way for the ITF to accelerate efforts to build cooperation across stakeholders, as well as share best practices and information in an effort to raise awareness on how the sector can make a difference and promote collective action to eradicate human trafficking. Three other motions were passed by the Conference. These include a motion to increase union membership and ITF representation of tourism workers; a motion on building workers’ power in tourism supply chains and a motion on driving LGBTQI+ equality and rights in tourism.