US, UK faith-based agencies aim to halt trafficking at London Olympics
(May 18, 2012) More than three dozen U.S. and British faith-based investment firms
have banded together to get the Summer Olympics' major sponsors and tourist hotels
to sign a pledge saying they will work to stop human trafficking around the Olympic
Games. So far, the campaign has had some success. "The issue has taken hold and the
hotels are doing training, and their staff is aware that there are issues that require
the attention of management or police agencies and social services," said Julie Tanner,
assistant director of socially responsible investing for Christian Brothers Investment
Services. The work builds on efforts to combat human trafficking - sex trafficking,
forced labour and child labour among them - at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa
and this year's Super Bowl in Indianapolis. The 37 faith-based investment firms
have approached 13 hotels and 19 major sponsors of the summer games. The Olympics
has far more than 19 sponsors, but this particular group of 19 was picked because
it was "where we felt the companies had risks from trafficking," Tanner told Catholic
News Service on Thursday. Tanner noted that one of the problems for the anti-trafficking
campaign was lack of statistics and information and research.