BALTIMORE — Red Roof and ECPAT-USA, an anti-child trafficking and exploitation organization in the United States, launched an industrywide fundraising campaign to fight human trafficking and raise awareness of the crisis during a special presentation at this year’s AAHOACON conference.
The new campaign is seeded by a Red Roof donation of $10,000. Red Roof will mobilize its network of franchise partners and vendors and the hospitality industry to encourage further support of ECPAT-USA through donations starting at this year’s AAHOACON event, which is attended by thousands of industry professionals annually. The fundraising campaign will continue through the summer months.
Red Roof and ECPAT-USA have been ongoing partners in the fight against child trafficking, combatting this heinous crime through awareness, advocacy, policy, and legislation. Red Roof is an active member of ECPAT-USA’s Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct (The Code), a voluntary set of business principles travel and tour companies can implement to prevent sexual exploitation and trafficking of children.
“Red Roof stands shoulder-to-shoulder with ECPAT-USA,” said George Limbert, president of Red Roof. “We encourage all of our partners and peers in travel and hospitality to join us and stand by ECPAT-USA in the fight against human trafficking.”
Red Roof franchisees and others who wish to show their support for ECPAT-USA as part of the fundraising campaign can donate directly to the organization.
“We are incredibly grateful for Red Roof for their ongoing partnership in our work to end child sex trafficking in the United States,” said Yvonne Chen, director of private sector engagement at ECPAT-USA. “The support of Red Roof and others in the hotel industry is crucial to ensuring all children are able to grow up free from exploitation.”
