Flight attendants fight human trafficking

The statistics are nothing short of startling. According to the world’s largest flight attendants union, four million innocent victims are trafficked worldwide each year, this in what amounts to a US$32-billion business. No small slice of that trafficking takes place on commercial aircraft.

The Association of Flight Attendants sees its 50,000-strong membership as a potential line of defense against the crime. According to AFA communications chief, Molly Sheerer, the union is urging the United States Congress to require that the Federal Aviation Administration mandate that all U.S. flight attendants undergo special training to better spot cases of human trafficking on their aircraft.

The union says the U.S. Department of Transportation already has the mechanisms in place to teach airline personnel to spot human traffickers and their victims through an effort called ‘Blue Lightening.’ But so far, says Sheerer, “Only a few of the airlines have voluntarily signed on.”

“Many flight attendants have spent sleepless nights after having witnessed something that just didn’t feel right on their flight,” says AFA International Flight Attendant Sara Nelson. But, she contends, “They just didn’t have the tools to act.” Comparing flight attendants to “aviation’s first responders,” Nelson says they’re “charged with the safety, health and security of the passengers in our care."

“Traffickers steal lives.” But, for a short period of time, flight attendants are in a position to help do something about it. She says, “We can see it, we can report it and law enforcement” can exact justice.

But only if folks on the first line of defense get the right kind of training.

“Everyone immediately recognizes the horror of human trafficking,” asserts Nelson. She says the aim here is to turn outrage into action. “We’re asking Congress to help us do just that…If we fail to act, we are accepting modern day slavery.”