A YORK hotel is to take a pioneering stand against the scourge of modern slavery and sexual exploitation.

The Monkbar Hotel is involved in a national campaign launched today by parent company Shiva, which is aimed at stamping out such problems within the hospitality industry.

All staff will attend training sessions, at which they will be taught how to spot potential victims of trafficking and exploitation.

Hotel general manager Graham Usher joined other Shiva managers at a meeting in London to be given details of the company’s blueprint to tackle the 21st century problem.

Shiva said it believed businesses needed to take a stand and play a leading role in addressing some of the key risk areas within the industry including hotel usage, employment and supply chains.

Director Rishi Sachdev said: “As a hotelier we have the opportunity to lead the way in addressing this issue.”

Mr Usher, who also chairs the York Hoteliers Association, said Shiva hoped its zero-tolerance approach would be mirrored industry wide.

“The cooperation of hotels and leisure businesses is key to the success of this campaign due to the fact that more than 4.4 million people are employed in our sector,” he said. “Shiva recognises that to eliminate this criminal activity altogether it will be a long and complex process, and one that can only be fully realised through constructive partnerships with law enforcement at all levels.

“Over the coming weeks the entire Monkbar team will be attending training sessions, learning about Shiva’s campaign and being taught how to spot those who could be the victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation. We will be informing our guests as to what we, a Shiva-owned hotel is doing, and also how they too can help, namely by alerting staff members to anything suspicious. Additionally, we are also encouraging victims, and those at risk of becoming victims, to join us in our fight.”

A spokesman said the Government estimated there were up to 13,000 victims of slavery in the UK.

He added that the new campaign had no connection to the recent incident in which two teenage girls from Vietnam disappeared in York, sparking a major police search. The girls were found and a man was arrested and charged with modern slavery.