Motion 2018-01 – Port of Seattle Human Trafficking Strategy Page 1 of 4

MOTION 2018-01:

A MOTION OF THE PORT OF SEATTLE COMMISSION

to develop a comprehensive Port of Seattle human

trafficking strategy; setting deadlines for strategy

completion, initial actions, substantial implementation,

and implementation of final tier tactics; requiring

documentation of best practices, lessons learned, and

measurable outcomes; and providing for referral of the

to protect residents and visitors but also a tangible role in stopping trafficking because of our

status as both a large employer and as the manager of significant trade and travel facilities.

Over the years, our organization has been a leader in directly addressing trafficking activities,

raising awareness of the issue to local residents and collaborating with key partners to increase

our reach and impact.

Given the Port’s commitment to ensuring that we use our resources to ensure the safety and

prosperity of all our region’s residents and everyone who uses our facilities, we have the

opportunity to increase our regional and statewide leadership on this important topic by

developing a comprehensive strategy that ties together training, resources, policies and

procedures. To advance the Port’s efforts, the Port of Seattle shall adopt the following goals:

o conducting initial awareness raising through media and communications efforts

to users of the Port’s facilities and local residents;

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o advocating at the state and federal level for policy changes that further the

Port’s and region’s human trafficking reduction efforts; and

o planning for the implementation of a broader set of tactics.

o installing signage in Port facilities that helps increase awareness of this issue and

reduces trafficking in our region; and

o exploring implementation of a final tier of tactics.

 By December 31, 2018, staff shall have begun implementation of those final tier tactics

that not only are most achievable but also have the broadest return on investment in

terms of multiplying the Port's impact on reducing human trafficking. In particular, staff

should focus on collaborations with tenants, vendors, concessionaires, contractors and

partners such as the Northwest Seaport Alliance.

Although slavery is commonly thought to be a thing of the past, each year millions of men,

women, and children are trafficked in countries around the world, including the United States.

Traffickers use violence, threats, deception, debt bondage, and other manipulative tactics to

force people to engage in commercial sex or to provide labor or services against their will. It is

estimated that human trafficking generates billions of dollars of profit per year – second only to

drug trafficking as the most profitable form of transnational crime.

There is no official estimate of the number of human trafficking victims in the U.S., but the

nonprofit Polaris estimates that the total number of victims nationally reaches into the

hundreds of thousands. For example, in 2016, an estimated 1 out of 6 endangered runaways

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are over 100 websites for soliciting sex in the Seattle area, many of which are used for human

trafficking purposes.

The Port of Seattle has a unique role to play in stopping human trafficking here in King County,

not only because of our moral obligation to protect residents and visitors in King County, but

also because of our role as both a large employer and as the manager of significant trade and

travel facilities. Headlines from the last year substantiate this truth, from the story of the Alaska

Airlines flight attendant who rescued a young girl being trafficked on a flight from Seattle to San

Francisco to the recently revealed Bellevue prostitution ring in which South Korean women

were flown in and out of Sea-Tac.

As both the operator of an airport and an owner of a wide array of maritime facilities, we can

help reduce the probability that our properties will be used as a transit point for traffickers and

their victims. As a major employer, we can train our employees to not contribute in any way to

1) Training – Ensure that all employees have access to the proper training and education to

understand both what human trafficking is as well as the Port’s prohibitions against

engaging in the demand side of trafficking. As appropriate, provide additional training to

customer-facing employees and public safety personnel to identify and stop human

trafficking taking place through our facilities.

2) Communications and Infrastructure – Utilize port facilities and communications

channels to raise public awareness of human trafficking, and provide information to

stop trafficking taking place at our facilities. In particular, focus on airport passengers

through signage and by providing clear, accessible reporting infrastructure and

and through their customer and vendor networks.

4) Policies & Protocols – Ensure that Port policies (such as travel and expenses, as well as

use of Port resources and electronic devices) prohibit engagement in human trafficking,

and provide clear procedures for employees to follow to report suspicion of human

trafficking and violations of these policies.

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The Commission hereby directs Port staff to finalize and implement a Port of Seattle