PRA, a leader in the Business Events industry, announces its alignment with ECPAT-USA, the leading anti-trafficking policy organization in the United States seeking to end the commercial, sexual exploitation of children through awareness and advocacy, policy and legislation. In addition, PRA has committed to 20BY20, a year-long campaign with a goal of training 20,000 business events professionals by the end of 2020 to help combat and end global human trafficking.

Established in 1991, ECPAT-USA partners with travel industry leaders to help companies implement programs and policies that address human trafficking and child exploitation. Through its advocacy work, ECPAT created The Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct (The Code), a set of business principles that travel and tour companies can implement to help protect the exploitation and trafficking of children. The Code provides awareness, tools, and support to ensure the travel and hospitality companies can endorse and support ECPAT-USA’s message.

“By joining forces with ECPAT-USA as hospitality leaders, we are able to help reduce the channels in which traffickers operate by raising awareness and supporting the efforts by ECPAT-USA,” shared Courtney Lohman, Director of Culture for PRA. “As a first step, we have conducted an internal training that addressed the signs/behavior to look for that relate to human trafficking and have put a plan in place to report suspicious activity that we may see. As a global business events firm, we operate programs in every corner of the world where we have the potential to directly impact this cause and take important steps to help end human trafficking. We look forward to utilizing our reach to support this great cause.”

For PRA, committing to ECPAT-USA and fighting human trafficking is the first step in a larger Corporate Social Responsibility plan for 2020 and beyond. The plan is based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and aligns with many of the calls to action we encounter in business and the world today. PRA has identified several SDGs as part of its year-one plan.  ECPAT-USA aligns with SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions), while other upcoming programs will align with additional SDGs.

Lohman added: “As a leader in our sector, we know our reach has to be stronger than just one cause or just one idea. We want to contribute in a positive way to our clients, partners and the communities where our events take place. The fight to make our world a better place starts with each one of us and how we conduct our daily lives and business. Building a CSR and sustainability plan around the SDGs is good for business and the communities we work in around the world. If we can all align with these goals, the future will be much brighter.”

“ECPAT-USA is thrilled to partner with PRA to come together around the key issues of prevention, protection and prosecution to build a future where this crime cannot exist,” shared Michelle Guelbart, Director of Private Sector Engagement, ECPAT-USA. “Through partnerships with leading hospitality organizations like PRA, we can amplify our message and make a meaningful difference in helping end human trafficking and child exploitation.”

About ECPAT-USA

ECPAT-USA is the leading anti-child trafficking organization in the United States seeking to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children through awareness, advocacy, policy, and legislation. ECPAT-USA is a member of ECPAT International, a network of organizations in more than 95 countries with one joint mission: to eliminate the sexual exploitation of children around the world. For more information, visit www.ecpatusa.org

PRA (pra.com)

Headquartered in Chicago with 28 offices throughout North America, PRA is a leading business event management firm, creating experiences which move hearts, minds, and businesses forward. Through its ownership of events and communication agency One Smooth Stone, PRA offers end-to-end integrated creative, production and communication solutions aligned with business events.

PRA blends Passion, Reach and Authenticity to consistently deliver incomparable experiences that engage participants and exceed business goals.

PRA’s reach runs deep, delivering value to millions of participants over nearly 40 years in every major destination across North America and beyond.  For information on our complete portfolio of services, please visit PRA.com or email: globalsales@pra.com. Follow PRA on our blog or on any of our social media sites.