Entertainment 2

Philadelphia is a booming tourist attraction that provides good eats, history and fun for all ages… At places like hotels and nightclubs, parks and restaurants, sexual assault and human trafficking may not be on your radar, but it should be…

In 2017, Philadelphia broke its own record, for the eighth year in a row, by welcoming more than 43 million visitors to the area. Every year these visitors eat and stay alongside native Philadelphians at our area’s parks, restaurants, hotels and clubs. It is unfortunate that sexual predators and sex traffickers sometimes use these locations to recruit and exploit victims. Imagine if the proprietors of all those establishments were equipped with the knowledge and skills to intervene in instances of sexual violence…

Safer City Philadelphia is a program that has been developed for various establishments in the hospitality industry to work in tandem with WOAR to develop better skills and strategies to keep the city safe for locals and tourists alike. Safer City will lead the charge in ensuring that Philadelphia’s hospitality industry is among the most skilled, equipping them with the tools to safely intervene when one suspects a potential sexually violent or trafficking situation is occurring, identify potential human trafficking situations or report potential sexual violent or a human trafficking occurrence. There are many challenges faced when combating sexual violence, human trafficking and sexual exploitation in the hospitality industry. Putting an end to sexual violence in hospitality requires skilled advocates, a well-trained staff and a conscious effort from management, staff and guests/clients of the establishment. Businesses that invest in having specially trained staff can better address the issues of sexual violence to protect our city and its visitors. We are after all, the city that loves you back!

1. Training – Safer City curriculum will be implemented.
2. Take Action – Bystander training will include information on strategies to identify those at risk, understand predatory behaviors and intervene with effective, creative responses that will contribute to greater public awareness.
3. Resources –

WOAR wants to show the visitors of our great city that they can have fun and feel safer too, by better enabling those in our hospitality industry to intervene when necessary and possible. We want Philadelphians and everyone who comes to Philadelphia for excitement, getaways, theatre and the arts to know they can enjoy themselves safely.

With WOAR by their side, the hospitality industry can fight to end sexual violence and human trafficking ensuring that Philadelphia is a SAFER CITY.