Maryland Hotels Required to Provide Annual Human Trafficking Awareness Training to Employees
In 2022, legislation passed by the Maryland General Assembly enacted requirements for innkeepers related to human trafficking awareness and prevention. Pursuant to §15–209 and §15–210 of the Business Regulation Article of the Maryland Annotated Code, a comprehensive Compliance Memo is posted in the MHLA Members Portal.
Complimentary Human Trafficking Awareness Training available to MHLA Members
MHLA has partnered with Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking (BEST) to offer free human trafficking awareness training to our members' employees. This training is available thanks to a sponsorship by AAHOA and has been approved for meeting training requirements in legislation enacted by the State of Maryland as well as in Baltimore City and Frederick County.
About BEST’s Inhospitable To Human Trafficking Prevention Training
BEST offers the most comprehensive human trafficking training available in the country for hospitality employees. BEST’s training is a proven tool that helps victims of human trafficking escape exploitation and helps trained hotels become less hospitable for traffickers. Survey research has shown that before receiving training, only 8% of trainees recognized a trafficking incident within the prior year. After taking BEST’s training, that number jumped to 44% of trainees identifying victims.
TRAINING OBJECTIVES:
Provide an overview of sex trafficking and labor trafficking and their impact on the hotel industry
Discuss common indicators of human trafficking and case examples
Give action steps for how to respond to and prevent human trafficking
Discuss key takeaways and provide additional resources, including modules to address real scenarios or receive more in-depth training
TRAINING MODEL OPTIONS:
Individual online training for staff (in English and Spanish)
Individual online training for owners and managers (staff training course plus additional modules and resources for owners and managers)
Group training (in English and Spanish) that owners or managers can use to train their staff in person
Everyone who completes the training will receive a certificate. This certificate may satisfy state and/or local training requirements. It is the responsibility of hotels to verify whether the training meets any such requirements.
