Approximately 1,500 lodging locations across the state of Iowa are required to meet new requirements in order to continue to receive payment for services. | Unsplash/Tim Tebow Foundation
Approximately 1,500 lodging locations across the state of Iowa are required to meet new requirements in order to continue to receive payment for services. | Unsplash/Tim Tebow Foundation
Iowa lodging sites will be required to get human trafficking prevention training under a new state law that goes into effect Jan. 1.
Clinton Herald reported that the approximately 1,500 lodging locations across the state of Iowa are required to meet new requirements in order to continue to receive payment for services. The law dictates that Iowa lodging providers that host public employees or publicly funded events and conferences are required to train their employees on human trafficking.
The Office to Combat Human Trafficking from the Iowa Department of Public Safety has the responsibility of facilitating the new law and certifying the curriculum used for training, according to a press release.
“Human trafficking directly affects Iowa given our proximity to major metropolitan areas like Kansas City and Chicago, and the intersection of two major interstate systems,” Department of Public Safety Commissioner Stephan Bayens said, according to the press release. “As a result, we know human trafficking is happening in Iowa and that it frequently occurs in a hotel/motel setting. The goal of this training is to provide lodging staff with the knowledge and tools to quickly identify and respond to human trafficking, so together we can prevent this from happening in our state. Even one victim is one too many.”
Training is free and can be accessed 24/7 online at stophtiowa.org.
Visitors can report human trafficking concerns by calling 911 or the Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888.
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