January 1, 2019

By Presidential Proclamation, January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.

In addition, January 11 is “Wear Blue Day,” a day where we can all pledge our solidarity with victims of human trafficking and raise awareness about, and work to end, this heinous crime.  You can participate by wearing blue and contributing to the campaign on social media using #WearBlueDay.

As Flight Attendants, we are uniquely positioned to identify human traffickers and assist their victims. Flight crews are skilled observers, and with the appropriate training, they can be the frontline against trafficking, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Indicators of human trafficking can include: physical control of travel documents of an adult traveler by a co-traveler; restricting the movement and social interaction of an adult traveler by a co-traveler; an adult traveler who is unclear on details of his/her final destination or point of contact; or a child traveler who appears to be accompanied by someone claiming to be the parent or guardian who is in fact not related to the child.

Flight attendants receive mandatory training to recognize and report suspected human trafficking. Due to AFA advocacy, in 2016, Congress adopted and President Obama signed into law a requirement that airlines provide training, resulting in 100,000 Eyes in the Skies ready to save lives.