Align Suppliers *
Vendors that provide facilities or services to your organization may not be aware of the risks that sex trafficking poses. Sex traffickers and sex buyers use facilities including hotels, ports, parking lots, vehicles, shopping areas, entertainment venues, massage businesses, leased offices, condos, apartments, corporate offices, and other buildings to commit their crimes. Sex traffickers and sex buyers also use services including transportation or travel services, web hosting, payment processing, banking, telecommunications, massage, escort, and conference services to commit their crimes. Your organization can influence suppliers to take action to prevent trafficking by establishing policies and codes related to your supply chain.
1. Inquire and Educate
At minimum, inquire whether your suppliers and vendors have an organizational policy or stance on sex buying and sex trafficking. If yes, request a copy of the policy. If not, share information about partnering with BEST and adopting the BEST Practices for Employers.
At minimum, inquire whether your suppliers and vendors have an organizational policy or stance on sex buying and sex trafficking. If yes, request a copy of the policy. If not, share information about partnering with BEST and adopting the BEST Practices for Employers.
2. Code of Conduct for Suppliers
If you have an existing Code of Conduct for Suppliers, include a stance against all forms of exploitation and human trafficking, explicitly mentioning sex trafficking. If you do not have a Code of Conduct for Suppliers, consider creating one.
Optional: Ask the supplier to sign the code of conduct.
If you have an existing Code of Conduct for Suppliers, include a stance against all forms of exploitation and human trafficking, explicitly mentioning sex trafficking. If you do not have a Code of Conduct for Suppliers, consider creating one.
Optional: Ask the supplier to sign the code of conduct.
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SAMPLE LANGUAGE on Sex Trafficking:
Our organization condemns all forms of sex trafficking, and any employee who engages in any sex trafficking activity, whether on company or personal time, will be terminated immediately. SAMPLE LANGUAGE on Sex Buying Activities: It is strictly against our organization’s policy for any employee to engage in any sex buying activities of any kind during company time, while working on company business, or while engaged in any work-related activities (including during business travel), or using any company properties or resources whatsoever (including, without limitation, company credit cards, expense accounts, buildings, parking lots, grounds, equipment, computers, storage devices, software, websites, social media channels, networks, vehicles, and phones). This prohibition applies regardless of whether the activity is legal or tolerated in a particular jurisdiction, foreign or domestic. |
U.S. Government |
3. Procurement & RFPs
Create a procurement policy or add language to an existing procurement policy or to RFPs that gives preferential status to suppliers who demonstrate their stand against sex trafficking and sex buying. Suppliers may demonstrate their stand through their policies, employee training, and involvement with organizations like BEST, gBCAT, ECPAT, and others.
SAMPLE LANGUAGE:
Our organization upholds the value of each human life. We stand against abuse and exploitation, including sex trafficking and sex buying. We give a preferential status to our business partners who do the same and have implemented policies and practices that clearly set forth prohibited activities by our partners’ employees, contractors, and suppliers and the consequences for engaging in these activities.
Create a procurement policy or add language to an existing procurement policy or to RFPs that gives preferential status to suppliers who demonstrate their stand against sex trafficking and sex buying. Suppliers may demonstrate their stand through their policies, employee training, and involvement with organizations like BEST, gBCAT, ECPAT, and others.
SAMPLE LANGUAGE:
Our organization upholds the value of each human life. We stand against abuse and exploitation, including sex trafficking and sex buying. We give a preferential status to our business partners who do the same and have implemented policies and practices that clearly set forth prohibited activities by our partners’ employees, contractors, and suppliers and the consequences for engaging in these activities.
4. Contracts
Your Organization’s Commitment
Add language to contracts with suppliers and, as applicable, with customers, regarding your commitment to stand against sex trafficking and sex buying, using language from your existing policies.
Commitment by Your Suppliers
Add language to contracts with suppliers requiring them to adopt and enforce policies prohibiting sex buying and sex trafficking.
SAMPLE LANGUAGE:
Throughout the term of this [Agreement], [Supplier] will (1) have in place and enforce appropriate policies and procedures that prohibit employees from engaging in any sex trafficking activity of any kind, whether on company or personal time, or engaging in any sex buying activities of any kind during company time, while working on company business, or while engaged in work-related activities (including business travel), or using any company or work properties or resources whatsoever, (2) notify its employees of these prohibitions, and (3) impose appropriate remedies for any violations, up to and including termination of the applicable relationship or agreement.
Option to Terminate
Provide an option to terminate the contract if the other party participates in any form of sex buying or sex trafficking. In practice, it may be better to engage and educate stakeholders rather than terminate contracts. Providing an option to terminate communicates how seriously your organization takes this issue.
SAMPLE LANGUAGE:
If during the term of this [Agreement] any sex buying or sex trafficking activities occur or are alleged to have occurred in connection with or in the course of [Supplier’s] operations or business, as determined in [Company's] sole discretion, it will constitute a material breach of this [Agreement], giving [Company] the right to terminate this [Agreement] immediately upon written notice to [Supplier].
Your Organization’s Commitment
Add language to contracts with suppliers and, as applicable, with customers, regarding your commitment to stand against sex trafficking and sex buying, using language from your existing policies.
Commitment by Your Suppliers
Add language to contracts with suppliers requiring them to adopt and enforce policies prohibiting sex buying and sex trafficking.
SAMPLE LANGUAGE:
Throughout the term of this [Agreement], [Supplier] will (1) have in place and enforce appropriate policies and procedures that prohibit employees from engaging in any sex trafficking activity of any kind, whether on company or personal time, or engaging in any sex buying activities of any kind during company time, while working on company business, or while engaged in work-related activities (including business travel), or using any company or work properties or resources whatsoever, (2) notify its employees of these prohibitions, and (3) impose appropriate remedies for any violations, up to and including termination of the applicable relationship or agreement.
Option to Terminate
Provide an option to terminate the contract if the other party participates in any form of sex buying or sex trafficking. In practice, it may be better to engage and educate stakeholders rather than terminate contracts. Providing an option to terminate communicates how seriously your organization takes this issue.
SAMPLE LANGUAGE:
If during the term of this [Agreement] any sex buying or sex trafficking activities occur or are alleged to have occurred in connection with or in the course of [Supplier’s] operations or business, as determined in [Company's] sole discretion, it will constitute a material breach of this [Agreement], giving [Company] the right to terminate this [Agreement] immediately upon written notice to [Supplier].
Envision Meetings & Incentives, Inc.
This meeting planning company includes the following clause in their contracts:
“Envision Meetings & Incentives, Inc. condemns the sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism. We will train our staff and partners to ensure that they know what to do if they suspect such exploitation in the course of their work. To this end we have signed the Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct (www.thecode.org, www.ecpatusa.org). We ask our business partners to do the same.”
* We are not providing legal advice and you should not rely on any information we provide without consulting an attorney. We take reasonable steps in collecting, preparing, and providing our BEST Practices, but in no event are we liable for its truth, accuracy, or completeness. To the fullest extent permissible by law, we are not liable for use of any information under any circumstances.
© BEST 2016
© BEST 2016