SafeHost: Enhancing Early GBV Detection in Hospitality sector

forthcoming

SafeHost addresses a critical gap in early detection and response to gender-based violence (GBV) by activating hospitality sector actorsparticularly frontline staff such as receptionists, housekeepers, and concierges as allies in identifying and supporting potential victims. Women in mobility contexts tourists, migrant women, and seasonal workers often show signs of abuse during their stay but face multiple barriers to accessing help. These settings present untapped opportunities for early GBV detection and intervention. Directly responding to Priority 2 of the CERV DAPHNE call, SafeHost pilots a trauma-informed, survivor-centred, and scalable intervention model across five EU Mediterranean countries. The project will: (1) map practices and barriers across hospitality and NGO sectors; (2) co-develop a modular training programme for frontline hospitality staff; (3) formalise partnerships and referral protocols with over 60 hotels; (4) launch a multilingual mobile app integrating an AI chatbot and a referral dashboard; and (5) implement a multilingual awareness campaign targeting guests and the general public. Key activities include 175 workshops training at least 2,625 hospitality professionals, development of organisational GBV policy templates, emergency accommodation coordination, and roundtables with policymakers and industry stakeholders. Expected outcomes include: 2,625 trained professionals, 20+ NGOs using the co-developed tools, 60+ hotels with signed MoUs, and over 50 safe referrals for survivors during the project lifecycle. Long-term impact is ensured through integration of the training modules into higher education curricula in tourism and hospitality, a validated toolkit for EU-wide replication, and national/EU-level policy advocacy. SafeHost reinforces the EU’s commitment to inclusive GBV responses by embedding early detection capabilities in a high-visibility but underused sector, in line with the Istanbul Convention and the 2024 VAW/DV Directive.