Should I boycott a hotel I suspect of trafficking?

Question: I believe a local hotel that I use often is associated with human trafficking. Should I boycott the hotel?

Human trafficking is a dirty little secret in many U.S. cities. According to the Polaris Project, a non-governmental organization working to fight human trafficking and modern-day slavery, there are more individuals in forced labor today than at the height of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Under federal law, children involved in the sex trade, adults who are coerced or deceived into commercial sex acts, and anyone forced into various forms of labor or services are all considered victims of human trafficking. Find out what groups in your area are working to fight this evil. Add your voice to theirs. And if you have reason to believe that a business you frequent is involved, by all means, make it known that you will take your business elsewhere until the issue is resolved. For more information and ideas on how to take action, visit www.polarisproject.org.

Neela Kale is a writer and catechetical minister based in the Archdiocese of Portland. She served with the Incarnate Word Missionaries in Mexico and earned a Master of Divinity at the Jesuit School of Theology. Some of her best theological reflection happens on two wheels as she rides her bike around the hills of western Oregon.