Sector of labour exploitation: Hospitality

Victims exploited in the hospitality sector represent 12 per cent of victims trafficked for forced labour.

Victims exploited in the hospitality sector are mostly females (67%). 49 per cent of these victims are adults between 18 and 29 years old, and another 24 per cent are children. Victims exploited in hospitality mainly originate in Eastern Europe (24%), Central America (21%), and South-East Asia (19%).  

82 per cent of victims exploited in hospitality were trafficked outside their region of origin. The main regions of exploitation are North America (67%) and Eastern and Southern Europe (9% and 6%, respectively).

Trafficked persons exploited in the hospitality sector are controlled with debt bondage and withheld wages, as well as threats, each accounting for around 55 per cent.^[1] They are predominantly recruited by ‘others’ (79%),^[2] and a few others are recruited by friends (10%) and family (8%). Victims trafficked for a year or less are slightly more frequent (38%) as compared to victims trafficked for between one and two years or those trafficked for more than two years, accounting each for about 31 per cent.

^[1] It is important to note that trafficked persons can be subjected to multiple types of exploitation and means of control, so percentages may not add up to 100.

^[2] Indicates a notable relationship with the recruiter that does not fit other categories like family or friends. This may include brokers, contractors, employers, or smugglers. See the Global Synthetic Dataset Codebook for a detailed explanation.