A new state law requires all hotel establishments across the state of Iowa have employees complete a human trafficking prevention training program by Jan. 1, 2022. | Unsplash/Tim Tebow Foundation
A new state law requires all hotel establishments across the state of Iowa have employees complete a human trafficking prevention training program by Jan. 1, 2022. | Unsplash/Tim Tebow Foundation
A recent report gave Iowa an overall grade of "F" in the fight to stop human trafficking.
A new report by Shared Hope International graded Iowa an "F" when it comes to protecting children from human trafficking, according to KCCI News. The state earned the worst grade in categories including victim identification and response, access to justice for human trafficking survivors, continuum of care, and prevention and training.
A new state law requires all hotel establishments across the state of Iowa have employees complete a human trafficking prevention training program by Jan. 1 in order to continue receiving payment for services.
"We know human trafficking is happening in Iowa and that it frequently occurs in a hotel/motel setting," Department of Public Safety Commissioner Stephan Bayens said, according to a press release. "The goal of this training is to provide lodging staff with the knowledge and tools to quickly identify and respond to human trafficking, so together we can prevent this from happening in our state. Even one victim is one too many.”
Some hotels have already completed the training as of Nov. 30.
Training is free and can be accessed 24/7 online at stophtiowa.org, according to Clinton Herald.
Visitors can report human trafficking concerns calling 911 or the Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888.
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