The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Training provided in spotting human trafficking
Quinnipiac law students teach hospitality workers about signs of trouble
HAMDEN >> Training hotel and motel employees to recognize the signs of human trafficking started as a project that would get him out of a final paper in his final semester at the School of Law at Quinnipiac University.
But John Sonderegger thinks teaching at these training sessions may have a much greater impact on his future than he originally thought.
“I didn’t know too much about the problem of human trafficking in Connecticut,” Sonderegger said. “Connecticut is fairly small and is kind of well-off. I didn’t expect it to have a human trafficking problem.”
Now, after working with experts from around the state to provide training sessions for hotel and motel staff on recognizing the possible signs of human trafficking, Sonderegger said if career opportunities arise where Sonderegger can work to help combat human trafficking, he said he will go for it.
“I just have to look for it,” he said.
This semester Sonderegger, along with other students from law professor Sheila Hayre’s immigration law course, has completed three training sessions for hotel and motel employees. These meetings for hospitality staff are now required under law. The law, which went into effect last October, also requires records of guests to be kept for up to six months to assist law enforcement investigations.
Some of the signs of sex or labor trafficking discussed include young girls or boys arriving at hotels or motels without luggage for an extended stay. Often times the victims are quiet and don’t speak for themselves, said Julie Altimer, also a third year law student at Quinnipiac.
“I was a shy kid too,” she said, adding that sometimes it’s hard to distinguish between a victim and a shy kid, which is something Altimer said is discussed at the trainings.
“You’re not the one charging these people with human trafficking,” Altimer said she reminds trainees. “The proper authority will deal with it.”
Taylor Matook, a firstyear law student helping with the training, said that they also encourage hotel and motel employees to keep track of suspicious signs, no matter how small they seem.
“One sign alone may not be an indicator, but it’s crucial to report what they see,” Matook said. “They could be seeing this every day and not even realize it.”
Other signs include people going in and out of a room who are not scheduled to be staying there, guests paying for rooms nightly and with cash, and a “Do not disturb” sign left on a door for a number of days, Altimer said.
Matook said that if staff is concerned about something they see, they do not have to call the police first, and are encouraged during the training to call a number of different hotlines and talk to experts. During the training sessions, members of law enforcement, former prosecutors, and human trafficking experts are also on the panel to add to the discussion.
Like Sonderegger, Matook said she sees participating in this project as something that may have a greater impact on her future than she initially thought. But while she still has two more years left in school, she is happy to be a part of the work.
“I hope it’s an ongoing project,” she said. “We are stepping out of the classroom and applying skills to help the community.”
Also participating in the training sessions is Denisha Moktan, a second-year law student. Moktan, now a U.S. citizen, who grew up in Nepal, where she said people were more aware of human trafficking happening around them.
“Here, (human trafficking) is really subtle,” she said. “Some people don’t think it happens in America.”
Moktan added that she’s been inspired by the positive impact the training sessions have had and she hopes to stay involved in combatting human trafficking in her law career.
“Seeing the positive response from people, it makes me want to do more,” she said.