DHS resource aids tribal gaming, hospitality industry

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are espousing the benefits of a newly released human trafficking awareness toolkit the agency noted is tailored to tribal gaming and hospitality professionals.

The Human Trafficking Response Guide for the Tribal Gaming and Hospitality Industry initiated through the agency’s Blue Campaign was developed by DHS, the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC), the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury and represents the first interagency partnership on a toolkit for the tribal gaming and hospitality community.

“Successfully combating human trafficking is a multi-disciplinary, ‘whole-of-society’ effort,” DHS Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas said. “The Human Trafficking Response Guide for the Tribal Gaming and Hospitality Industry, the first of its kind, will assist an industry that is vulnerable to traffickers and will help protect potential victims. The survivor-informed toolkit will aid in the detection and prevention of human trafficking crimes in tribal gaming and hospitality settings.”

The resource provides culturally appropriate, survivor-informed tips for front line tribal gaming and hospitality employees at all levels that include security, surveillance, and transportation staff; casino gaming attendants; food and beverage staff; and housekeeping, maintenance, and room service.

“This culturally tailored, survivor-informed toolkit combines the Department’s human trafficking knowledge, tools, and resources with the invaluable expertise, perspective, and guidance of the tribal gaming and hospitality industry, and Indigenous communities,” DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking Director Cardell T. Morant said. “The toolkit empowers Indigenous communities to protect victims and provides them with the tools for identifying and reporting potential human trafficking situations to the proper authorities.”

The toolkit also includes specific definitions and examples of human trafficking, with printable posters detailing role-specific indicators of the crime and appropriate reporting information, according to DHS.