IHG donates $500,000 to AHLA foundation’s Human Trafficking Survivor Fund

IHG HOTELS & RESORTS donated $500,000 to the American Hotel & Lodging Association Foundation’s No Room for Trafficking Survivor Fund to combat human trafficking. It is the most recent donation by a large hotel company to the fund.

The Survivor Fund works to end human trafficking and support the economic stability of human trafficking survivors with the contribution, a statement added. It supports survivors’ immediate needs and long-term stability that will empower and equip survivors and their families to help prevent revictimization, including but not limited to emergency housing and career development support by funding community-based organizations.

Since its inception, the fund has raised $2.5 million with contributions from Extended Stay America, G6 Hospitality, Hilton Global Foundation, Hyatt Hotels Foundation and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.

“IHG Hotels & Resorts is committed to eradicating human trafficking, and this support of the NRFT Survivor Fund underscores our long-standing effort to condemn this exploitation and help survivors,” said Elie Maalouf, IHG’s CEO for the Americas. “The fund will play a crucial role in providing survivors with the support they need for future stability and success. Recognizing that our industry has a unique opportunity to fight human trafficking collectively, we proudly join our peers and AHLA Foundation in continuing to make impactful change.”

AHLA Foundation’s No Room for Trafficking program addresses human trafficking by uniting the industry around collective anti-trafficking efforts that meet the needs of hospitality employers, employees, and the communities they serve.

“With every donation we are able to further honor our mission to combatting human trafficking and supporting survivors,” said Anna Blue, AHLA Foundation president. “I am proud of our industry’s united efforts against human trafficking and extremely grateful for the generous donation by IHG Hotels & Resorts. These continued partnerships and investments are the very reason why NRFT and our Survivor Fund will continue to positively impact lives.”

Last year, AHLA Foundation launched a trafficking prevention training program for the hotel industry in collaboration with ECPAT-USA and Marriott International.