Sabre sets up first-ever educational scholarship program for human trafficking survivors
Tech company unites travel industry leaders and non-profit organizations to help human trafficking victims reclaim their lives through education
SOUTHLAKE, Texas, Nov. 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Sabre Corporation is launching the first-ever educational scholarship fund especially for human trafficking survivors. Sabre's Passport to Freedom scholarship program will help human trafficking victims reclaim their lives by making education and training more accessible and affordable.
In its inaugural year, the Passport to Freedom scholarship program will offer human trafficking survivors up to $10,000 in financial support to help pay for vocational training and post-secondary education. SkyLink and C&H International, both Sabre customers, have donated $10,000 each toward the scholarship fund.
"By making education more attainable, these scholarships can help pave the way for the survivors of labor and sex trafficking to secure gainful employment," said Jennifer Barkley, program manager of the Sabre Passport to Freedom program and selection committee manager for the scholarship program. "These scholarships can help survivors start a new life by developing marketable skills. Through partnerships with our customers and the non-profits dedicated to survivor assistance, our long-term vision is to help scholarship graduates find jobs within the travel or technology industries."
The scholarship program is a fund of Silicon Valley Community Foundation. The scholarship selection committee includes representatives from Hilton Hotels, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, Wyndham Hotel Group, BCD Travel and non-profit organization Covenant House NYC.
Scholarship applications will be accepted from Jan. 5 through March 12, 2015. Selection criteria and information on the scholarship program is available at www.sabre.com/ptf/scholarships.
"Now that the funding and framework for the scholarship program is in place, the next important step is to let the organizations working with trafficking survivors know that this scholarship is available so they can encourage and assist their clients to apply," said Barkley.
Sabre has been a pioneer in the travel industry in the fight against human trafficking, launching the Passport to Freedom program in 2012 with a goal of uniting the travel and tourism industry to fight child sex trafficking and human slavery. Since 2012, Sabre's Passport to Freedom program has been generating awareness of human trafficking among Sabre employees and the travel industry as a whole.
Sabre also created a global online training course for travelers and employees of travel-related companies. The curriculum was originally developed to educate Sabre employees on human trafficking including signs to watch for and what to do if they do suspect human trafficking is occurring. Sabre recently made the training publicly available via its website and is working on a version to share with its customers and partners.
Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery where perpetrators profit from the control and exploitation of others. Force, fraud and coercion are used to control other people and induce them to commit acts of sex or labor. Estimated to be a $32 billion trade, human trafficking is one of the fastest-growing criminal industries in the world.
About Sabre
Sabre® Corporation (NASDAQ: SABR) is a leading technology provider to the global travel and tourism industry. Sabre's software, data, mobile and distribution solutions are used by hundreds of airlines and thousands of hotel properties to manage critical operations, such as passenger and guest reservations, revenue management, and flight, network and crew management. Sabre also operates a leading global travel marketplace, processing over $100 billion of estimated travel spend in 2013 by connecting travel suppliers to their most valued customers, the business traveler. Headquartered in Southlake, Texas, USA, Sabre operates offices in approximately 60 countries around the world.
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SOURCE Sabre Corporation
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