Home News & Features MGM MACAU Recognized for Efforts to Fight Human Trafficking

MGM MACAU Recognized for Efforts to Fight Human Trafficking

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LAS VEGAS—Thomson Reuters Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the world’s biggest news and information provider, selected MGM MACAU as a top 15 global finalist for the “Stop Slavery Award” this month.

The esteemed award recognizes companies that have taken concrete steps to eradicate forced labor from their supply chains. MGM MACAU was identified for its best practices and continued leadership in combating human trafficking across the globe.

“We are very proud of the selection of our MGM MACAU Affiliate as a global finalist in the movement to combat human trafficking and modern-day slavery,” said Phyllis A. James, Chief Diversity and Corporate Responsibility Officer for MGM Resorts International. “We support measures to prevent trafficking, protect victims and prosecute traffickers. Respect for human dignity and human rights is fundamental to our hospitality and entertainment mission, and our dedication to ethical business conduct. Recognitions such as the Stop Slavery Award pull human trafficking out of the darkness, shedding light on this evil, its destructive effects on human society and the growing drive to eradicate it.”

The “Stop Slavery Award,” in its second year, is judged by a prestigious panel of experts, including: Nobel Peace Prize Winner Kailash Satyarthi; Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr; Britain’s Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner Kevin Hyland; Executive Director of Human Rights Watch Kenneth Roth; International Criminal Prosecutor Patricia Sellers; and Thomson Reuters Foundation CEO Monique Villa.

‘An Opportunity to Lead the Way’

“To be a finalist for such an esteemed award alongside other global enterprises is truly motivating,” said Grant Bowie, CEO and Executive Director of MGM China Holdings Limited (indirect parent company of MGM MACAU). “It is an honor and testament to our commitments and proactive approach to human rights and anti-human trafficking. Over the past years, we have worked vigorously to highlight this important issue. We see this as an opportunity to lead the way and to partner with other like-minded organizations and individuals to put an end to modern-day slavery worldwide.”

MGM MACAU’s selection was based on its robust awareness program developed in collaboration with representatives from the private, public and NGO sectors. The resort’s anti-human trafficking efforts include: movie screenings open to the public, and forums, roundtables and business luncheons in order to stimulate collaboration and action. Internally, MGM MACAU has provided anti-human trafficking trainings to its team members and established a Vendor Code of Conduct, with provisions related to supplier workplace standards to eliminate child labor, forced labor or any other violation of human rights.

The naming of MGM MACAU as a Stop Slavery Award global finalist is one of two anti-human trafficking honors received this year by MGM Resorts International Affiliates.

In April, the Federal Bureau of Investigation honored the security team at ARIA Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada with the Director’s Community Leadership Award, given to individuals and organizations that are successfully combating crime, terrorism, drugs or violence in America. ARIA’s efforts against human trafficking include a training course they created to educate security staff on how to identify and refer victims of human trafficking to relevant social services programs. More than 600 people have graduated from the course since its inception in 2014.

These awards demonstrate MGM Resorts’ continued conviction against the destruction caused by human trafficking. For 2016 to 2017 MGM Resorts Foundation funded a grant to the Salvation Army’s SEEDS of Hope program, which provides emergency, crisis intervention and restoration services to victims of all forms of human trafficking. MGM Resorts is also an active participant in the Southern Nevada Human Trafficking Task Force, a collaboration led by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department among local, state and federal law enforcement and members of the business, nonprofit, faith-based and general community to coordinate anti-trafficking strategies, share best practices and raise awareness about trafficking prevention, detection and treatment of victims.

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