The Seminole Tribe of Florida and Hard Rock International have been granted a Freedom Award from PACT (Protect All Children from Trafficking), at the recent Freedom Awards Benefit at the Prince George Ballroom in New York City. This award honors their commitment to combat and prevent human trafficking.
PACT is an anti-child trafficking organization in the US seeking to end child sexual exploitation and trafficking through education, partnerships and legislative advocacy.
Seminole Gaming manages six Florida casino complexes for the Seminole Tribe of Florida, including Seminole Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos in Tampa and Hollywood, Fl.
In 2022, Hard Rock signed the organization's Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct, a voluntary set of business principles, which travel and tourism companies can implement to prevent sexual exploitation and trafficking of children.
The award was presented by Faith Robles, an indigenous native of Mexico and survivor of human trafficking. Seminole Tribe of Florida member Durante Blais-Billie accepted the award on behalf of Tribe Chairman Marcellus Osceola Jr. and Councilwoman Mariann Billie, who were both individually recognized at the event.
PACT CEO Lori Cohen said, "The Freedom Awards ceremony is a celebration of the progress we've made to eliminate child trafficking and exploitation, but also a reminder of the work that still needs to be done.
"Every day, children in the United States and around the world are robbed of their innocence and forced into unimaginable situations. We're honored to be able to count on so many valuable partners to shed light on this issue and raise funds to support our work."
Jim Allen, Chairman of Hard Rock International commented, "Hard Rock is committed to working with our community partners across the country and the world to innovate solutions that help prevent human trafficking."
The GA Huddle spoke with Paul Pellizzari, VP of Global Responsibility at Hard Rock about its anti-human trafficking initiatives earlier this year: watch here.
