WUNRN
AIRLINE FLIGHT ATTENDENT INITIATIVE
TO COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Innocents at Risk’s Flight Attendant Initiative began with the help of senior flight attendant Sandra Fiorini in 2008. In 2009, it was named “Flight Attendant Initiative” by the U.S. Custom and Border Control. It is an action plan to arm flight attendants with the tools necessary to combat child trafficking. Our brochures, titled “Protecting Women and Children from Human Trafficking“, provide vital information on how to recognize and report the human trafficking that flight attendants see daily. We also distribute wrist bands with the National Hotline Number 1-888-373-7888, so that flight personnel can call from the air and get officials to meet suspected offenders when the flight lands. Alternatively, attendants can give wrist bands to children they suspect might be entering a dangerous situation, arming them with the resources to get help.
The Flight Attendant Initiative has been extremely successful. Innocents at Risk has already been able to reach approximately one-third of American Airlines’ 19,000 flight attendants, and we are expanding the program to other airlines. Flight attendants are in a unique position to notice and report suspicious activity, and they continue to save innocents from the dangers of human trafficking daily.
Excerpt From “10
Shocking Secrets of Flight Attendants”
By Heather Poole, Published in May/June 2012 issue of MentalFloss
Airline Ambassadors
International Human Trafficking Success Stories
CNN Human
Trafficking Segment featuring Nancy Rivard on Airline Ambassadors to Combat
Human Trafficking
Nancy Rivard was interviewed by CNN on Airline Ambassadors efforts to combat human trafficking. Watch the video clip here.
Click here to download Bulletin
Deborah Sigmund
written testimony for Congressional Briefing on July 1st, 2010
Innocents at Risk is honored to be here today to discuss the Flight Attendant Initiative and our partnership with Airline Ambassadors. I would like to thank Congressman Chris Smith and Congressman James Oberstar, the Chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for hosting this briefing today on how we can save lives by fighting Human Trafficking in the air.
In June of 2008, Innocents at Risk began the Flight Attendant initiative when American Senior Flight Attendant Sandra Fiorini heard about Innocents at Risk through our awareness and educational community outreach programs. Sandra came to us with valuable information and we learned that an incredible amount of trafficking was taking place via commercial flights. This was a major breakthrough! A task force of flight attendants led by Sandra was formed, and Innocents at Risk sprang into action. We produced a basic brochure, “Protecting Women and Children from Human Trafficking”, a guide to teach flight attendants how to respond to potential human trafficking situations in airports and on airplanes. The brochure also contains the National Human Trafficking HOTLINE number 1-888-373-7888, which is operated by the Polaris Project.
As the flight attendants initiative grew, we were able to hear and pass to authorities valuable information about human trafficking. For example, flight personnel informed us that twice a week young girls were boarding flights to Chicago for Moscow with one way tickets who were told they would be “models” or “work in TV” in NYC. Working together, Sandra Fiorini and Innocents at Risk were able to inform the hotline and DHS/ICE. Soon an ICE Agent was on the flight, a criminal operation was uncovered and girls were rescued! This is what just one flight attendant can do to save innocent lives. Think of all we could do if we got all 90,000 flight attendants worldwide on board! These truly are an army of angels who want to help our effort.
In January of 2009, John Ingham, director of HSTC, learned of the Flight Attendant Initiative. He assembled together the correct players from DHS, ICE and the FBI to meet with an American Airlines representative (Mike Wascom), The Polaris Project, Sandra Fiorini and Innocents at Risk to discuss how to mobilize this incredible resource of flight attendants, who are our “First Line of Defense” against human trafficking.
As the Flight Attendant Initiative gained strength and momentum, we started getting more governmental attention and support. In March 2009, this initiative became the BLUE LIGHTNING CAMPAIGN. In May of 2009, we met again at HSTC to discuss the Blue Lightening Code of Conduct, which was based on the ECPAT (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes Code of Conduct established to protect children from sexual exploitation in travel and tourism).
It was a tremendous accomplishment! Innocents at Risk applauds American Airlines for coming to the discussion table and we congratulate the leadership of John Ingham for bringing everyone together to establish a protocol to expand this talented force of individuals and agencies.
The Flight Attendants Initiative continued to expand. In July 2009, I met Nancy Rivard, founder of Airline Ambassadors, at a mission training in Miami. My purpose was to brief Nancy and the attending Flight Attendants on “Blue Lightening”. Nancy and Airline Ambassadors were eager to join forces in our growing battle to fight human trafficking.
Airline Ambassadors brings a vital work force of over 6,000 members and corporate partners dedicated to preventing trafficking in the U.S. and around the world. With their focus on ending child trafficking, we have already had some major successes. I have personally witnessed how quickly law enforcement responds to the calls by flight attendants. When reports come in to the hotline, ICE agents come immediately to meet the plane as it reaches the ground. This lightning-fast response is helping to save lives. However, this is ONLY A FRACTION OF CHILDREN WHO COULD BE SAVED.
We need to do more! To date, Innocents at Risk has provided airline personnel with thousands of brochures and blue hot-line wrist bands supported only by private and corporate sponsors, but we can do so much more. We need to train all 90,000 flight attendants worldwide and ALL Airline personal. Today, we are asking the airlines to incorporate Human Trafficking training into their basic annual airline training and to help us educate passengers with acceptable trafficking information in in-flight magazines. Together, we can open thousands of eyes to this horror, and take control of the airways, to form an impenetrable defense that will protect children everywhere.
We thank you in advance for helping us save innocent lives.
Wallet Card with Tips for Identifying Human Trafficking Victims and Action Steps