COMMISSION AGENDA MEMORANDUM BRIEFING ITEM Item No. Date of Meeting 8a July 24, 2018 DATE: June 26, 2018 TO: Stephen P. Metruck, Executive Director FROM: Eric Schinfeld, Sr. Manager, Federal & International Government Relations SUBJECT: Six-Month Progress Report on Port-wide Human Trafficking Strategy Implementation ACTION REQUESTED Request Commission extension of training and public awareness campaign deadlines for completion of actions identified in the January 9 human trafficking motion (Motion 2018-01) to December 31, 2018. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY On January 9, the Port of Seattle Commission passed a motion directing staff to finalize and implement a Port-wide strategy to combat human trafficking. By taking that step, the Commission has increased our organization's leadership role on this important topic, for which we not only have a moral obligation to protect residents and visitors but also a tangible role because of our status as both a large employer and as the manager of significant trade and travel facilities. We have made substantial progress in all aspect of our strategy's implementation - from the creation of an internal policy to ensure our all employees understand our commitment to this vital equity and social justice issue to trainings that have reached hundreds of Port employees. Importantly, we have also developed some key partnerships with other regional public and private sector leaders that will allow us to maximize our impact in reducing human trafficking in our region. While we could have completed most of the strategy tactics by now, we have decided instead to take a slower approach to allow for more partner engagement. For example, the Port has been ready since March to conduct our own public awareness campaign, but instead is waiting on the City of Seattle, Sound Transit and King County to go through their internal process so that we can do a regional collaboration on this effort instead. Similarly, we are engaging local nonprofits to develop training curriculum and materials rather than doing it ourselves to ensure widespread community engagement in this work. Given that change in strategy, staff is requesting that the Commission extend the deadlines for the public awareness campaign and staff training efforts until the end of the year. DETAILS Scope of Work Template revised April 12, 2018. COMMISSION AGENDA - Briefing Item No. 8a Meeting Date: July 24, 2018 Page 2 of 6 In particular, the Port's human trafficking strategy has four main focus areas: 1) Training - Ensuring that all employees have access to the proper training and education to understand both what human trafficking is as well as its impacts on our communities. 2) Communications - Utilizing port facilities and communications channels to raise public awareness of human trafficking, and provide information to stop trafficking taking place at our facilities. 3) Partnerships - Leveraging relationships to reduce duplication and to maximize the impact of our efforts, including collaborating with nonprofits; local, state and federal agencies; and key customers and vendors. 4) Policies & Protocols - Ensuring that Port policies prohibit engagement in human trafficking, and provide clear procedures for employees to follow to report suspicion of human trafficking and violations of these policies. Schedule The Commission's January motion lays out the following deadlines for implementation • By March 31, 2018, staff shall finalize a comprehensive strategy and implement an initial set of actions, including but not limited to: o developing a curriculum and planning trainings for the most relevant Port employees; o joining key alliances and committees to ensure the Port's engagement on this topic regionally; o conducting initial awareness raising through media and communications efforts to users of the Port's facilities and local residents; and o advocating at the state and federal level for policy changes that further the Port's and region's human trafficking reduction efforts. • By June 30, 2018, staff shall implement substantial aspects of the Port's comprehensive anti-trafficking strategy, including but not limited to: o developing a curriculum and planning for making training broadly available to all Port employees; o ensuring that Port policies and our Code of Conduct fully restricts employee engagement in any aspect of trafficking; 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. To best summarize our progress to-date, staff have created the below matrix. Template revised September 22, 2016. Template revised September 22, 2016. COMMISSION AGENDA - Briefing Item No. 8a Meeting Date: July 24, 2018 Required Tactic Developing a curriculum, planning trainings for key Port employees (mainly law enforcement) Joining key alliances and committees January Motion Deadline March 31, 2018 March 31, 2018 Template revised September 22, 2016. Template revised September 22, 2016. Completed No Yes Page 3 of 6 Specific Accomplishments Next Steps • The Port has held three trainings for Port employees (including one specifically for Port police), reaching over 200 employees • The Trafficking Training Subcommittee has finalized an RFP to request outside help in developing and conducting trainings • The Police Department has developed a curriculum for all officers that they will begin to roll out at the end of the year. The Port has joined Businesses Against Slavery and Trafficking's Employer Alliance, the King County Commercially Sexually Exploited Children Task Force and the Washington Advisory Committee on Trafficking. We also sponsored a table at the 2018 Stolen Youth • Work with Port Police on the implementation of their training plan. • Request Commission update their motion to make this a December 31, 2018 deadline. The Port will host the 2018 Statewide Commercially Sexually Exploited Children's Task Force Conference at the Sea-Tac Conference Center in October 2018. COMMISSION AGENDA - Briefing Item No. 8a Meeting Date: July 24, 2018 Conducting initial awareness raising March 31, 2018 Yes Advocating for policy changes March 31, 2018 Yes Developing a curriculum, planning trainings for all Port employees June 30, 2018 No Ensuring Port policies restrict engagement in trafficking June 30, 2018 Yes Installing signage June 30, in Port facilities 2018 to increase awareness No Template revised September 22, 2016. Template revised September 22, 2016. Page 4 of 6 Luncheon. Held a press conference to announce our initiative, and posted signage at Sea-Tac throughout January in honor of Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Engaged with state and federal stakeholders to evaluate key pieces of legislation; included trafficking in the 2018 federal policy agenda. 2018 saw the passage of the federal Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act, and the federal closure of Backpage.com. The Trafficking Training Subcommittee has finalized an RFP to request outside help in developing and conducting trainings. The Port is finalizing an Executive Policy that outlines the restriction on trafficking activity. • The Port has formed a partnership with the City of Seattle, King County Planning for similar activities when we launch our regional public awareness campaign, and for the January 2019 Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Working with key state advocates to identify opportunities for Port engagement during the 2019 legislative session. • Release the training RFP, and solicit proposals for the contract • Request Commission update their motion to make this a December 31, 2018 deadline. Education about the policy will be incorporated into the training curriculum. • Launch the regional public awareness campaign in the coming months. • Hang the COMMISSION AGENDA - Briefing Item No. 8a Meeting Date: July 24, 2018 Exploring implementation of a final tier of tactics June 30, 2018 Template revised September 22, 2016. Template revised September 22, 2016. Yes Page 5 of 6 (including Metro), Sound Transit and others to conduct a regional public awareness campaign, based on King County's successful 2013 campaign. We are working with the group to finalize the exact timing of the campaign. • The Port is partnering with the FBI and the US Attorney's office to increase public awareness of both trafficking and inflight sexual assault, including signage on Sea-Tac bathroom stall doors and a joint press conference. • The signage for both campaigns is designed, and circulating to partners for final approval. Key conversations have already begun on topics such as offering trafficking training to non-Port employees working at our facilities, leveraging new technologies to help people report trafficking, and trafficking/sexual assault signage in the coming months. • Request Commission update their motion to make this a December 31, 2018 deadline. Continue to make progress on implementing these tactics. COMMISSION AGENDA - Briefing Item No. 8a Meeting Date: July 24, 2018 Page 6 of 6 extending these efforts to the NW Seaport Alliance. We are also pleased to have hired a Port Veterans Fellow, Chad Aldridge, who will spend the rest of 2018 staffing this effort to ensure its successful completion. While we have made substantial progress, we will not meet all deadlines set by the Commission motion, and request that timelines be updated for remaining items to reflect the new expectation of deliverables. ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND 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. Here in Washington state, we are not immune from the problem. Washington had the 14th highest call volume to the National Human Trafficking Hotline in 2015. In King County, an estimated 300-500 children are prostituted annually, some are as young as 11 years old; there are over 100 websites for soliciting sex in the Seattle area, many of which are used for human trafficking purposes. 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 save lives by educating our staff on the damaging effect that exploitation and trafficking have on individual lives and families, and how it undermines our commitment to equity and social justice. As a public sector leader, we can collaborate with other jurisdictions, customers, vendors and partners to raise awareness of this important issue. ATTACHMENTS TO THIS BRIEFING (1) (2) (3) January 9 Commission Human Trafficking Motion Port Human Trafficking Strategy Presentation slides PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS • January 9, 2018 - The Commission passed a motion directing staff to finalize and implement the Port's human trafficking strategy. Template revised September 22, 2016. Template revised September 22, 2016.