PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Marion Kendall, Co-chair of New York State Anti-Trafficking Coalition and Founder of Thrive, on the Safe Hotels Act
1:37:32
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152 sec
Marion Kendall, representing the New York State Anti-Trafficking Coalition and Thrive, testified in support of the Safe Hotels Act, emphasizing its importance in combating human trafficking within the hospitality industry. She shared stories of trafficking survivors to illustrate the urgent need for this legislation.
- Kendall highlighted how hotels are often used by traffickers due to their anonymity and convenience.
- She provided two specific examples: Maria, a 19-year-old immigrant trapped in a hotel room, and Sarah, a young mother coerced into meeting clients in high-end hotels.
- The testimony stressed the critical role of the Safe Hotels Act in protecting vulnerable individuals from exploitation in the hospitality sector.
Marion Kendall
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Good afternoon.
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The distinguished members of the city council.
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My name is Marion Kendall, and I am a cochair of the New York State anti trafficking coalition and the founder of thrive, an organization dedicated to providing critical support and services to victims and survivors of sexual exploitation across all districts represented here today.
1:37:52
I am here to voice it unwavering support for the Safe Hotels Act, a bill that represents a beacon of hope in the fight against human trafficking, particularly within the hospitality industry.
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This bill is a vital step towards protecting the vulnerable and ensuring that no individual is exploited in the very places where they should be safe.
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Human trafficking, specifically sex trafficking, is an insidious crime that hides in plain sight, and hotels are often complicit.
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Whether through neglect or lack of awareness.
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For traffickers, hotels provide an anonymity inconvenience for victims.
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Hotels become prisons, places where they're in where their humanity is stripped away.
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Today, I want to share with you the lived experiences as survivors that I personally know and currently work with that underscores the necessity of this legislation.
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Names are protected, I will share the story of Maria.
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Maria is a nineteen year old immigrant from Central America.
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Came to the US with the promises of a legitimate job in the hospitality industry.
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What she didn't know was that her traffickers had other plans.
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Instead of the opportunities she was promised, Maria was locked in a hotel room and forced into prostitution.
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Every day she endured unspeakable physical and sexual violence, unable to escape because her traffickers threatened her family back home.
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She lived in Terra and isolation and and feels perilous, trapped in a place where hotel staff never questioned her constant present.
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Sarah is a twenty six year old young mother who has coerced into the sex strain by a trafficker, who prayed on her financial desperation, manipulated into believing she had no other option.
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Sarah was taking to high end hotels where she was forced to meet clients.
Julie Menin
1:39:48
I'm just gonna ask you to please wrap up the testimony.
1:39:51
Thank you.
Marion Kendall
1:39:52
We the anti trafficking coalition Thrive and many survivors of trafficking in the 5 boroughs encouraged the city council to pass the safe hotels act.
