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Victims of Sex Trafficking
Sex trafficking can involve overseas victims being brought to the United States on the promise of housing and work, only to be forced into selling sex for money which the criminal organizations that brought them here keep. It can also occur when a single individual, who may be suffering from a substance abuse disorder, is forced into performing sexual acts to benefit another person--such as a drug dealer or pimp. Regardless of the surrounding circumstances, sex trafficking occurs where one person benefits financially from forcing another to perform sexual acts for money.
When traffickers rent a room in a hotel, and the staff and management ignore clear signs of trafficking, the hotel is benefiting financially from the forced prostitution. Under these circumstances, survivors of sex trafficking can hold the hotel liable under federal law. By holding hotels accountable, these large chains will take steps to ensure trafficking does not occur in their properties, thus reducing the available space for sex trafficking to occur.
Some of the indicators of sex trafficking in a hotel are as follows:
- different men frequently entering and leaving a specific room,
- guests staying in a room for long periods of time, while refusing housekeeping services,
- high traffic to rooms throughout the night,
- many men passing through the lobby that never checked into the hotel,
- guests checking without luggage of proper identification,
- girls checking into a hotel with older men, or
- rooms being paid for with cash.
Where the conditions described above continue for lengthy periods of time or are repeated with frequency, a hotel that does not contact law enforcement may be intentionally overlooking the sex trafficking as a means to generate greater revenue through room rentals.
Multiple lawsuits have been filed against various large hotel chains. Presently, a federal judge in the northern district of Ohio has been asked to consolidate all those cases for ease of administration. If you or a loved one has been forced to sell their body for the financial benefit of another, contact the experienced attorneys at Neumann Law Group for a free consultation today.
