SPRINGFIELD – One of the fastest-growing criminal activities in the world remains largely invisible, but that could change as State Senator Suzy Glowiak works to provide hospitality workers with the tools to spot and report on human trafficking.

Glowiak (D-Western Springs) passed House Bill 3101 on Tuesday, which would require hotels and motels to train employees to recognize the signs of human trafficking and know what to do when reporting it to authorities.

“Just as we’ve discovered that teachers or hairdressers can be the ones who most readily spot the telltale signs of domestic violence, we’re learning that hotel employees might be the ones who spot human trafficking,” Glowiak said. “We all are taught to step up when we see wrongdoing, and this training will give hospitality workers the knowledge and build the confidence to be able to identify signs of human trafficking and act quickly to do the right thing.”

Under the proposal, the Illinois Department of Human Services would develop a human trafficking recognition training program for hotel and motel employees. Human trafficking is now the second-largest criminal activity in the world and the fastest-growing. The International Labor Organization estimates that there are 40.3 million victims of human trafficking globally.

“It’s crucial that we take the lessons learned by other states and implement them in Illinois to help put a stop to this criminal activity,” Glowiak said.

House Bill 3101 passed the Senate’s Human Services Committee with unanimous support and now heads to the full Senate for consideration.