Tell Hilton Hotels to Prevent Child Prostitution in Their Hotels

A Hilton Hotel in southwest China lost its five star rating this week after an underground brothel was found to be operating out of the hotel last month. While law enforcement hasn't released the ages of the persons identified in the illegal brothel, similar brothels have contained children and human trafficking victims. Companies like Hilton have the power to help prevent the the forced prostitution of children on their watch. Send a letter to Hilton Hotels asking them to prevent child prostitution here.

This recent bust isn't even the first time an underground brothel has been operating at a Hilton Hotel. In 2008, a brothel was being run out of a Hilton in Ireland. And Consumerist named the Hilton in Washington D.C. the third most prostitution-friendly hotel in the city, based on the phone records of the notorious DC Madame. With so many brothels being operated out of their hotels, you would think Hilton would take pains to ensure that none of them involve children.

In fact, Hilton Hotels can help prevent child prostitution in their hotels with one simple action: signing the ECPAT Code of Conduct (www.thecode.org). More than 900 companies around the world (very few of them from the U.S.) have been willing to take this simple, effective action. Beginning in  2004, the child protection-focused nonprofit ECPAT-USA has asked major U.S.-based hotel chains to sign the Code of Conduct. Carlson Companies -- owners of Radisson, Country Inn & Suites, and others -- proudly declared their commitment to protecting children. A few others, including Choice Hotels in response to a Change.org petition, have made some positive steps but ultimately failed to embrace the full range of actions they can and should take. Hilton Hotels, however, has not returned correspondence regarding the steps they intend to take to prevent children from being exploited on their properties. By refusing to commit to eradicating child sex trafficking, American-owned hotels like Hilton are signaling their indifference to the plight of children.Why won't Hilton Hotels prevent child prostitution?

You can take action to prevent child prostitution at Hilton Hotels by sending a letter to Hilton CEO Christopher Nassetta telling him to sign the ECPAT Code of Conduct and commit to preventing child sex tourism in Choice Hotel hotels.

The ECPAT Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children From Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism.

Under this voluntary Code, a company agrees to:

1. Establish an ethical policy regarding commercial sexual exploitation of children

2. Train the personnel in the country of origin and travel destinations.

3. Introduce a clause in contracts with suppliers, stating the common repudiation of commercial sexual exploitation of children.

4. Provide information to travelers by means of catalogues, brochures, in-flight films, ticketslips, web-sites, etc.

5. Provide information to local ''key persons'' at the destinations.

6. Report annually.

Together, we can prevent child prostitution.

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