Some airlines are helping sex traffickers, whether inadvertently or knowingly, by failing to see the signs and not taking action.

As awareness of their possible contribution to human trafficking grows, staff and crew members at the nation’s major airline terminals are joining ongoing efforts to prevent human trafficking and rescue victims.  These efforts come as venues across the hospitality and transportation industries face liability for allowing, or failing to prevent, illegal trafficking of vulnerable persons and have started taking action to stop these activities.

How Big Is the Problem?

A form of modern-day slavery, human trafficking is an international problem of immense proportions, fueled largely by the staggering amounts of money to be made in the exploitation of others. Although forced prostitution gets the most attention in the media, trafficking victims also wind up working in low-wage sweatshop employment for the benefit of their captors.

A recent case involving a Polish crime family in the United Kingdom illustrates how such illegal enterprises operate. The family would entrap their victims from the streets and prisons in their home country, promising them good jobs and a new life in the U.K. Once they arrived, they were told they would have to repay their abductors with interest. Forced to live in squalid conditions, these victims found themselves eternally in debt to the family, having to live on as little as 50 pence (about 65¢ U.S.) a day while turning most of their meager pay over their oppressors. According to Scotland Yard, it was the largest human trafficking operation in that nation’s history.

Sex trafficking, particularly that of minor children, is another appallingly lucrative criminal activity, generating nearly $100 billion a year worldwide according to the International Labor Organization, accounting for approximately two-thirds of profits obtained from forced labor. The problem has become so huge that it has put a strain on law enforcement resources, leaving them unable to address the issue effectively.

If Airlines Are Helping Sex Traffickers, What Is Being Done?

Because the sheer magnitude of human trafficking has made it difficult for police to deal with human trafficking alone, a growing number of non-profit organizations and private companies have stepped up. For example, while a number of airlines are helping sex traffickers through ignorance, Airline Ambassadors International (AAI), a humanitarian organization that works with carriers and airport personnel, are providing training on how to recognize the signs of trafficking.

AAI was founded in 1996 by a former flight attendant, Nancy Rivard. Its original mission was to help airline workers become good role models for travelers, inspiring them to “do good, to help others,” she says. The organization started its current mission in 2009, after representatives became aware of the sex trafficking of young girls in Southeast Asia, where the problem is particularly serious. Over the past decade, AAI has conducted more than 100 training sessions at airline terminals around the world on recognizing and reporting human trafficking. In 2016, their efforts lead to changes in the FAA Reauthorization Act, which now requires airlines to provide such training to their employees.

Currently, AAI is working with trafficking survivor Alicia Kozakiewicz, who was actually abducted from her home at the age of 13 and forced into sex slavery until someone who recognized her image online notified authorities. She and other survivors tell their stories at training sessions in order to help raise awareness.

If you were a victim of sex trafficking and forced to work at a truck stop, hotel or motel, night club or other hotel venue, you may be eligible to move forward with a civil investigation against these businesses. This investigation involves a civil case, and is not a criminal case against you or your loved ones.

Top Class Actions is working with experienced human trafficking attorneys who will be informed and sensitive to your situation. Join the fight by filling out the short form on this page. 

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