Airbnb signs ECPAT’s ‘The Code’ to help combat child exploitation

Airbnb is committed to the safety of its community. To mark National Human Trafficking Awareness Day in the US, Airbnb is proud to announce that we have become a member of The Code, a set of practical guidelines created by ECPAT – a global organization of 124 members in over 100 countries and regions – to help the travel and tourism industry combat the sexual exploitation and trafficking of children. Alongside this, we’ve broadened our support for law enforcement investigations globally by expanding our dedicated law enforcement portal to nine languages.

Airbnb is the first home sharing platform to sign ECPAT’s The Code, affirming that we have implemented and will continue to support its six governing criteria designed to reduce the risk of sexual exploitation and trafficking of children, in a commitment that spans our platform policies, supplier contracts, employee training, stakeholder engagement, awareness raising and annual reporting on progress.

Joining this voluntary pledge represents Airbnb’s headway in meeting The Code criteria through a number of anti-trafficking initiatives, including: 

• Developing training for Airbnb employees in the prevention of sexual exploitation and how to report suspected cases, with almost 30,000 employee and partner learners enrolled to date
• Amplifying information for Hosts and travelers on how to spot and report concerning behavior, with guidance on protecting children from sexual exploitation and helping to stop human trafficking created with ECPAT-USA, Polaris and other experts
• Expanding our Supplier Code of Ethics to include and reinforce a shared repudiation of sexual exploitation of children
• Engaging and collaborating with stakeholders to combat trafficking through work like our Trust and Safety Advisory Coalition, which includes anti-trafficking and child safety experts, ECPAT-USA, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children; our partnership with Polaris and subsidization of ongoing work to bring their Global Modern Slavery Directory resource to victims and survivors in more languages, including Ukrainian, Arabic, Tagalog, Russian and Malay; and our awareness campaigns with It’s a Penalty.

Further to these steps, we’ve expanded our law enforcement portal to nine languages in support of the vital work of law enforcement around the world, and our dedicated law enforcement response team has held engagement and education sessions with law enforcement agencies globally. Our law enforcement portal provides a secure channel for law enforcement officers to submit and track requests for information from Airbnb, and is now available in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazil), Korean and Japanese. All requests are handled in line with our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy and Law Enforcement Guidelines and, to protect the privacy of our users, Airbnb only discloses user information to verified law enforcement agencies when we receive a valid legal request or in emergency situations.

In addition, our expanded Community Support channels give Hosts, guests and neighbors more ways to report issues to us. Hosts and guests can use our 24-hour Safety Line to quickly reach our specialized Safety team for help during an active stay, while our Neighborhood Support Line enables neighbors with urgent concerns to speak directly to us.

“Child trafficking is still too common globally and all of us have a role to play in fighting human exploitation which is why we are proud to be part of ECPAT’s Code and share in their fight by taking these important steps.  We are committed to using Airbnb’s global reach to support efforts to improve awareness, help those who need it, and assist law enforcement.”

Juniper Downs, Director of Community Policy and Partnerships at Airbnb

“On Trafficking Awareness Day, we are honored to welcome Airbnb as a new member of the Code and in the global fight against child trafficking and sexual exploitation. No industry is immune to human trafficking. Airbnb’s commitment has and will continue to play a crucial role through the education and awareness raising of its worldwide hosts and travelers’ community in eradicating this insidious form of child abuse.”

Lori L. Cohen, Executive Director of ECPAT-USA

“ECPAT International, ECPAT-USA and all of our members welcome the news and commend Airbnb’s pledge to adopt and implement The Code’s criteria. We hope that Airbnb’s efforts to end the sexual exploitation of children within the travel and tourism industry will serve as a blueprint for other companies to recognize that this is a global issue that requires action by all — especially that of the private sector.”

Guillaume Landry, Executive Director of ECPAT International

These steps are the latest in Airbnb’s work with experts and law enforcement to help tackle global issues like child trafficking. While reported incidents on Airbnb are incredibly rare, we are dedicated to continually evolving our products, policies, and training, as well as our work with experts like ECPAT-USA and with law enforcement, to support efforts around the world to end trafficking and exploitation in all its forms.