Airline Flight Attendant Initiative Against 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

Read More Here »

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

Human
Trafficking Bulletin to All Flight Attendants