Hotel staff in England and Wales to be trained to fight against child sexual exploitation
Hotel staff are to be trained as part of a new programme to tackle child sexual exploitation.
Last updated 6th Dec 2024
A new programme is uniting police, government, and the hospitality sector to tackle child sexual exploitation (CSE).
Operation Makesafe provides an opportunity to prevent CSE, specifically incidents that happen in forms of accommodations within the hospitality industry, such as hotels.
The programme, which launches today (6 Dec), will see hospitality staff trained to recognise the signs of CSE and how to report it.
Phil Ashford, National Child Sexual Exploitation Lead for the CSE Taskforce explains: “We understand that anyone who checks into a hotel and is asked what could be perceived as difficult and intrusive questions by hotel staff may object, but please do understand that these questions are being asked with the best of intentions – and may save a child from experiencing lifelong trauma.”
Assistant Chief Constable Becky Riggs, National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Child Protection and Abuse Investigation said: “This work shines a spotlight on an area of hidden harm that we are committed to identifying to ensure those who are responsible are brought to justice.
“If you are a perpetrator of child sexual exploitation and abuse let me be clear; we are working with partners to identify who you are, where you operate, and the victims you target."
“The ambition of national policing it to take a whole-system approach to stamping out the exploitation – and Operation Makesafe takes us significantly closer to realising this.
“Policing has a central role to play in protecting children, but we can’t do it alone. I am encouraged to see such positive engagement from partners across the hospitality industry and thank them for the commitment they have already shown to Operation Makesafe.”
Jess Phillips, Minister for Safeguarding and Violence against Women and Girls, said: "For too long, predators have taken advantage of the anonymity and privacy hotels provide to carry out the most appalling abuse against children.
"I commend the police, hotel industry and third sector partners like Children’s Society for working together to bring these heinous crimes out of the shadows. By training hotel staff to spot signs of exploitation in their premises, more children will be saved from this horror.
“This government will continue to support the Child Sexual Exploitation Taskforce and protect victims while relentlessly pursuing their abusers."
Kate Nicholls OBE, Chief Executive of UKHospitality, said: “Keeping our guests safe is hospitality’s number one priority. Any abuse or exploitation of a child is an abhorrent crime, and hotels take their responsibilities to prevent any instances from happening extremely seriously.
“Staff are well trained so that they know when to intervene or ask questions. This is all done with the best intention to protect vulnerable children, and it works.
“I’m pleased that a number of our members have been leading on this within their businesses. Through Operation Makesafe, bringing together the Home Office, the police and the accommodation sector we are building on this work, with the aim of stamping out these shocking crimes, and we look forward to continuing this partnership.”
By the government's definition, CSE is a form of child abuse, which occurs when an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate, or deceive a child or young person into sexual activity.