The group will expand and innovate its direct support for victims, survivors and at-risk youth through various partnership programmes.
This includes a youth employment programme with Covenant House New York, as well as the Twentyfour-Seven Anti-trafficking QR Code.
The former sees the company join forces with Covenant House New York, the largest provider of runaway and homeless youth services in New York City, to provide access to careers in hospitality. Participants of the programme will receive employment with Hard Rock Cafe Times Square and Hard Rock Hotel New York.
The latter sees Hard Rock piloting a QR code on its properties that will provide information on trafficking and direct access to immediate help resources. Created by survivors to help those vulnerable to trafficking, the QR code stickers will be placed in bathrooms, elevator waiting areas, transportation waiting areas and parking lots, with the pilot testing the stickers at properties in New York City, Hollywood, Cincinnati and Madrid.
“Human trafficking, which includes commercial sexual exploitation and forced labour, is a complex challenge for the entire global hospitality industry because it intersects a range of organised criminal activities,” Hard Rock noted.
“For several years, Hard Rock has implemented comprehensive protocols to increase awareness of and prevent human trafficking, including training over 27,000 hotel and casino team members globally and collaborating with community partners and advocacy groups.”
Hard Rock will also join the Broward Human Trafficking Coalition (BHTC), community leaders and elected officials later this month to raise awareness about the plight and rights of trafficking victims.
“Hard Rock is committed to working with our community partners across the country and the world to innovate solutions that help prevent human trafficking,” said Hard Rock International Chairman Jim Allen.
