Dear Alexander Bard,
I saw on Twitter that you had highlighted Realstars’ campaign against trafficking in the hotel sector. That made me very glad. I also saw that you didn’t understand what “sexual politics” had to do with hotel accommodation. That didn’t make me so glad, but I was not surprised, because many are not aware of what sometimes happens in hotel rooms behind closed doors.
Out of curiosity I scrolled down to read the discussion prompted by your post. Some had become upset about RealStars’ fight against trafficking through forbidding the purchase of sex. There was a misunderstanding in the comments section that both parties would be criminalised and many said that “voluntarily selling sex is not a crime”. Unfortunately it is only the purchase of sex which is voluntary and those who find themselves in prostitution are in a forced situation, otherwise there would be no sex trade. But that’s not what I want to talk about. Instead, I want to talk about what you, Alexander, wrote, and the questioning of RealStars’ information campaign against trafficking. The door sign with the message We don’t have room for human trafficking is extremely important, even if it brings out such strong feelings that you felt the need to call Clarion Hotel ‘bastards’.
Hotel owners, personnel and guests are, like everyone in the world, not always aware of the trafficking happening around them. Because it does happen, constantly. Do you know where it sometimes takes place? In hotel rooms. There are many signs for trafficking happening in a hotel room, with one of the signs being that different men visit the room after one another. Have you seen this some time? Would you react if you did? Would you come to think of trafficking? Regardless of what you answer to these questions, I am convinced that the little sign on the door would make you more attentive.
So I fucking love Clarion Hotel and all other hotels which participate in Hotels Against Trafficking because they take a stance and actively try to mitigate the modern slavery. Praise the Clarion! And praise all hotel guests who read the sign on the door and think a bit extra.
One of our RealStars friends