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August 21 @ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
This session highlights the powerful role that the travel and tourism industry can play in protecting children from sexual exploitation and abuse. With more than one in four Australians having experienced child sexual abuse (ACMS, 2023), businesses across this sector have a unique opportunity to be part of the solution.
Whether it’s through booking platforms or hotel staff on the ground, companies in travel and accommodation can be in a position to identify risks and respond early. Recent cases in which hotel staff have identified and stopped abuse on their premises serve as a powerful reminder that awareness and training can prevent harm and save lives.
In this webinar, we’ll hear directly from Marriott International and Booking.com on the proactive steps they are taking to strengthen child safeguarding.
Hosted by ICMEC Australia, this session will open with a brief overview of how child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA) can occur within the travel and tourism industry, followed by a panel discussion with leaders from Marriott and Booking.com. We’ll explore how businesses can take action and why this work is not just ethical, but essential to building trust, safety, and social impact across the tourism industry.
Please note, the session will run under the Chatham House Rule: while participants may freely use information received during the event, the identity and affiliation of any speakers and participants must not be disclosed without express prior consent.
Your speakers
Abbe Horswill is the Director of Human Rights at Marriott International. She oversees Marriott’s human rights and human trafficking awareness initiatives, manages strategic partnerships and programs with nonprofit organisations, and provides education and guidance on human rights issues. Prior to joining the Marriott team, Abbe spent more than a decade in the anti-trafficking field, working at leading organisations, including Polaris and the National and International Centers for Missing and Exploited Children. She is thrilled to share this field-driven subject matter expertise with Marriott and the hospitality industry to help combat human trafficking, advance human rights, and make a positive social impact.
Jennifer Easterday, Head of Human Rights at Booking.com, leads the development and execution of the company's human rights strategy. Since January 2023, she has built and led a dedicated team advancing business and human rights standards across the organisation. Before Booking.com, she co-founded and served as Executive Director of JustPeace Labs, a non-profit organisation promoting the ethical and responsible development of digital technology. She holds a law degree from UC Berkeley School of Law and is licensed to practice law in California.
Event details
21 August 2025
Thursday
2:00pm – 3:00pm
AEST / Sydney time
1:30pm - 2:30pm ACST / Adelaide time
12:00pm - 1:00pm AWST / Perth time
Online event
via Microsoft teams
Registration
Registration for this event has now closed.
For more details on ICMEC Australia's events, visit our industry events page below.
ICMEC Australia acknowledges Traditional Owners throughout Australia and their continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, and Elders past and present.
