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Worldwide: Airbnb has strengthened its partnership with anti-trafficking organisation Polaris by announcing that their Global Modern Slavery Directory will now be available in an additional six languages – Arabic, Russian, Malay, Hindi, Tagalog and Ukrainian.
Airbnb said that the partnership with Polaris was a sign of its commitment to using its “global reach” to support efforts to combat human trafficking and exploitation alongside governments, law enforcement agencies and other organisations around the world.
The home-sharing company is subsidising the translation into more languages for the Directory, which serves as a resource for victims and survivors of human trafficking and exploitation to quickly get in contact with global agencies that tackle such issues. As a result, the availability of the Directory in more languages will enable more people around the world to access the important support.
Airbnb has also announced that it will provide additional funding for Polaris to update its data capabilities, further enhancing its ability to support survivors and organisations combating human trafficking.
Patrick McIntyre, chief development and external affairs officer for Polaris, said: “The Global Modern Slavery Directory is a vital resource for victims and survivors of human trafficking to identify and contact agencies that are best suited to help them. By making the Directory available in six new languages, we make this resource accessible to more people than ever.
“Airbnb has been a vital partner in this effort, and we are grateful for their continued support in our pursuit of a world where no one is exploited and everyone has the freedom, power, and opportunity to choose how they live and work,” he added.
Tara Bunch, global head of operations at Airbnb, said: “While reported incidents on Airbnb are rare, we remain committed to using our platform’s global reach and community to play a role in the fight against human trafficking and exploitation. We’re proud to partner with organisations such as Polaris and support the vital work they do to tackle this issue and support survivors and victims around the world.”
Airbnb and Polaris – the operator of the US Human Trafficking Hotline – initially partnered in 2018 to support each other with measures and initiatives to help combat anti-trafficking and exploitation. The measures include Airbnb introducing a Trust and Safety Advisory Coalition, becoming a founding member of the World Travel & Tourism Council’s global taskforce to help combat and prevent human trafficking, training for Airbnb employees to prevent sexual exploitation and report suspected cases, expanding its Supplier Code of Ethics and reinforcing a shared rejection of sexual exploitation of children.
