United Nations affiliated non-profit organization, Airline Ambassadors International (AAI) has teamed up with anti-child slavery organization Innocents at Risk to create a training program to educate airline professionals to spot signs of human trafficking. AAI President Nancy Rivard released a statement about the collaboration, saying “Flight Attendants and pilots can play a key role as eyes and ears for international security efforts.”
Rivard and AAI are calling for all U.S. airlines to incorporate human trafficking prevention techniques in their safety training and make the trafficking hotline available to passengers.
Back in July, a briefing on Capitol Hill addressed the role that airlines can take in eradicating slavery. In a letter inviting airline representatives to the briefing, Congressman Chris Smith (R–NJ) wrote, “It has come to my attention that U.S. airlines are being exploited as trafficking routes into the United States. Women and children are being transported to lives of slavery in broad daylight, shrouded only by the lack of awareness or inaction of those around them.” Read the letter here (PDF).
Rivard has said that she first became aware of modern day slavery when she visited Cambodia. She gathered with eight colleagues in the Dominican Republic to discuss ways to combat the crime. On their return flights, they observed potential cases of human trafficking—and alerted flight attendants. The national trafficking hotline was called, and ICE agents at the airport were dispatched. Each case turned out to be a case of slavery, Rivard told CNN.
Ron Soodalter, co-writer (with Free the Slaves President Kevin Bales) of The Slave Next Door—a book examining the extent of slavery within the U.S.—says that human trafficking thrives in “dark places.” We all have a role to play, to eradicate modern day slavery. Perhaps the most important first step is to educate ourselves. Learn the signs of human trafficking, find out what your local slavery hotline number is. A great resource is the website EndSlaveryNow.com, which provides educational resources to help you identify slavery—and the best ways to prevent it.
See Nancy Rivard on CNN, talking about AAI’s anti-human trafficking efforts after the jump!