HUMAN RIGHTS

THE ESG ISSUE/Trafficking

Human Rights: Oil & Gas Empowers Freedom

By Rebecca Stephen, Western Hemisphere Communications Specialist, Seadrill

Human trafficking is a global issue estimated to impact 25-40 million people annually. It’s a human rights issue hidden in plain sight. It occurs across all 50 states in the U.S., with Texas being a hub.

Two energy professionals are taking a stand. In 2017, Alexandria Alvarez Gerbasi, OVS Group, and Jennifer Hohman, Seadrill, started the Oil and Gas Trafficking Awareness Group (OGTAG) to raise awareness about trafficking and inform energy companies on how to take action.

OGTAG began with just two companies and now represents 20 oil and gas operators and more than 25 oilfield service companies. OGTAG has partnered with 40 different non-profits, as well as law enforcement and government agencies, to educate industry and communities of the realities of labor and sex trafficking.

OGTAG seeks to use the power of the oil and gas sector to shine a light on this dark issue and make the communities where we live and work safer. By educating our employees and suppliers about this epidemic, we are also helping make progress towards ending a major social problem facing the world today.

In January, National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, OGTAG completed Energy Empowers Freedom Tour, a weeklong event hosted by 19 different oil companies around Houston. The event included educational sessions with local non-profits fighting on the frontlines, as well as tours of the Freedom Driver’s Project, a mobile museum that educates the public about the realities of trafficking. More than 1,500 energy employees attended this inaugural event. Energy professionals are now volunteering with these non-profits and making a difference locally.

"There are several misconceptions regarding sex trafficking," Gerbasi said. The first is that many of the victims are undocumented citizens, when in reality most victims are American citizens. The second is people often don’t understand that prostitution in most cases is actually sex trafficking, and victims do not choose that life. There is a huge use of force, coercion and fraud regarding prostitution.”

Human trafficking is organized crime and traffickers often target children online, isolating them from their families and luring them into trafficking.

“The most important thing you can do to protect your family is have a conversation about it,” Hohman said. “Awareness and education are the greatest tools for prevention.”

OGTAG suggests parents vist www.FightForUs.org, which gives six signs to look for if parents are afraid their child is being groomed by a trafficker.

OGTAG’s goal for 2020 is to continue increasing awareness and action in the industry around this issue. OGTAG plans to attend the World Petroleum Congress to continue educating oil and gas professionals about this human rights issue and increase awareness about trafficking locally and globally. OGTAG Denver will launch later this year and Energy Empowers Freedom – Permian Basin is planned for October 2020. With the progress OGTAG has made over the last three years, our industry is stepping up to fight for human rights.

To get involved, visit OGTAG.org.

Rebecca Stephen is a Western Hemisphere Communications Specialist for Seadrill, an offshore drilling contractor. She has been in the oil and gas field for four years and has been dedicated to OGTAG’s mission since 2019.