Despite the evening rain a great team came together to enjoy reconnecting with the leaders of our programs helping vulnerable children worldwide. New and veteran Airline Ambassadors members came together to get inspired by our vision and activities helping children worldwide.
Mrs Washington DC, Kavita Nanavati greeted guests, and pilot from Empire Air, Mitch Tucker flew in all the way from Honolulu for the event. Mission Leaders, Cheryl Robinson, (Philippines and S. Africa), Marie Rivard (Guatemala), Kate Jewell (Nepal) shared as well as Children’s Medical Escorts, Ruth Matranga, Tammy Meade and Teresa Garza, and Human Trafficking Awareness trainers Peggy Durfey and Sharon Robinson were in attendance too.
Alejandro Fernandez will chair our Committee for a Spring Gala so email him at let us know if you want to join our Committee! eyeoptics11@gmail.com.
Fresno Yosemite International Airport sponsored a Human Trafficking Awareness Training on June 25, 2018, that was provided by AIRLINE AMBASSADORS training team: Andrea Hobart, Leslie Power, and survivor Alicia Kozakiewicz.
Representing Congressman Jim Costa, District Director Kathy Mahan shared enthusiasm for combating human trafficking in Fresno. Director of Aviation, Kevin Meikle, welcomed the group along with Vikkie Calderon.
The training was well received and there were approximately 60 attendees, including local government, representatives, airline and airport station management and personnel, TSA and local citizens.
Three news stations attended and here is the report from Desiree Lopez on TV KSEE24: Fresno Airport educates employees on how to identify human trafficking victims. KSEE 24 also reports for Telemundo 51. Here is the report in Spanish 
Local NGO’s working on combating on were also represented and had the chance to share. Founder of MADE FOR THEM, Andrea Shabaglian, and Anti-Human Trafficking Case Manager, Evelyn Gonzalez with the ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES COMMISSION and the Central Valley Freedom Coalition as well as Mollie’s House and the Alicia Project were also highlighted.
MEDIA RELEASE – Fresno Yosemite International Airport to Host
Anti-trafficking Awareness for Airport Personnel and Partners
Fresno, CA – Fresno Yosemite International Airport in partnership with Airline Ambassadors International (AAI), a network of airline employees leading the effort to take the issue of human trafficking to the travel industry, will conduct a training on Monday, June 25, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. in the airport terminal lobby conference room for airport and airline personnel on recognizing and reporting human trafficking. The session will offer industry-specific training designed to raise situational awareness by teaching the warning signals and methods of how to handle a suspected trafficking situation.
“Fresno Yosemite International Airport is pleased to collaborate with AAI on creating awareness to keep our community and the traveling public safe,” said Director of Aviation Kevin Meikle. “The industry-specific training will provide our airport team with the support to recognize trafficking related situations and to be the voice for an individual who may be in a desperate situation.”
Featured speaker AAI Human Trafficking Program Director, Andrea Hobart will lead the training. Participants will also hear from Alicia Kozakeiwicz, who will share her personal survivor story and Leslie Power, the airline professional who proposed the training. Participants will include airport and airline personnel, concession team members, federal partners and nearby hoteliers.
The Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission, Central Valley Freedom Coalition, Mollie’s House and Made for Them will be on hand to share materials and services offered by their respective organizations.
“We applaud the initiative of Fresno Yosemite International Airport for highlighting this issue just after the formal release of the International Civil Aviation Organization guidelines and the International Air Transport Association also encouraging all airlines to raise awareness on the most important human rights issue of our times,” said AAI President Nancy Rivard.
The training is consistent with the Blue Lightning Initiative of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and supported by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Fresno Yosemite International Airport – Fresno Yosemite International Airport currently offers Valley passengers daily nonstop flights to Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, and Guadalajara and Morelia, Mexico on domestic and international carriers. Fresno Yosemite International Airport is a municipally owned entity operating as a self-supporting enterprise. No City of Fresno general funds are used to operate Fresno Yosemite International Airport or Fresno Chandler Executive Airport.
Airline Ambassadors International (AAI) – (AAI) is a U.S. based 501(c)3 non-government organization that is leading the effort to take the issue of human trafficking to the travel industry. It began with a group of flight attendants using their passes to assist children in need, and has expanded to members of all ages and professions. AAI leverages airlines to provide passenger and cargo space for medical and rescue personnel, as well as for food, medicine and humanitarian relief. AAI volunteers also escort children traveling abroad for donated medical procedures and educate on human trafficking awareness.
Like us on facebook.com/FresnoYosemiteInternational or follow us on Twitter @FresnoAirport and Instagram @iFlyFresno .# # #
AAI’s star trainer Donna Hubbard opened the International Aviation Transportation Association (IATA’s) conference on Cabin Safety in Bangkok in May as well as the conference in Geneva on at the High Commission on Human Rights with the formal release of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Circular 352 – Guidelines for airline companies for training of cabin crew on identifying and responding to trafficking in persons. ICAO sets international guidelines for airline companies globally and the launch was made with the full support of the High Commission on Human Rights (UNHCHR). See media stories: UN Agency Urges Mandatory Training; Aircraft cabin crew have new tools to stop human trafficking & Preventing human trafficking by empowering aircraft cabin crew
The conference was opened by Dr. Fang Liu, Secretary General of ICAO and Kate Gilmore (UNHCHR) prior to Donna riveting the crowd with her testimony on the impact on victims : From Tragedy to Triumph. including the story of Airline Ambassadors and her work as a human trafficking awareness trainer. 
Other speakers were Laurent Sauveur on UNHCHR, Janine Von Thungen, with an inspiring interactive exhibit on Trafficking in Persons, Martin Maurino who coordinated the development of of the ICAO Guidelines for Cabin Crew, Julie Abraham of the US Department of Transportation on the Blue Lightning Initiative, Mikela Dontu, who shared inspiring results of training cabin crew at Sky Regional Airlines, Sara Nelson of the Association of Flight Attendants, who helped get training mandated for US flight crew, Tim Coleman of IATA (sharing that this issue will be emphasized again at the General Meeting of IATA in early June in Sydney). Closing remarks were made by Catalin Radu (ICAO) and Mona Rishmawi, OHCHR.
We had some fun and got to see a bit of Geneva too including Uptown Downtown the upscale shop for vintage designer brands of our colleague Gigi Gya. We did some research in the “red light” district and had a great dinner with friends.
AAI trainers Sherry Saehlenou & Nancy Rivard with Landry Carr from US State Dept.
Donna Hubbard with colleagues from Lufthansa
Julie Abraham, from US DOT, departing
This sign greets all who arrive or depart from Geneve!
Today, May 21st 2018|
AAI at Senate Briefing -HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM CSPAN Coverage HERE |
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NEW CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS Monday, May 7, 2018 3:00 p.m., Russell Senate Office Building Room 485 Live Webcast: www.facebook.com/HelsinkiCommission CSPAN Coverage HERETraffickers move trafficking victims on airplanes, buses, trains, and taxis—frequently relocating to avoid detection by law enforcement and to chase big markets, like major sporting events and vacation destinations. Hotels, often unknowingly, sell rooms to traffickers for exploitation. Over the last decade, transportation and hotel professionals have recognized the role they can play on the front lines of identifying potential trafficking victims. Many organizations work alongside NGOs and the Departments and Homeland Security and Transportation to ensure that their employees are ready to respond to, rather than look away from, victims in plain sight. However, some companies have been slow to join the fight. Legislation pending in Congress will require hotels and airlines to train their employees to spot and report signs of trafficking before the companies can become eligible to win government contracts. More decentralized systems of travel and tourism—such as Airbnb and Uber—may need new frameworks to ensure that their systems do not become the preference of traffickers on the move. The following expert panelists are scheduled to participate: · Tracey Breeden, Director of Safety Communications, Uber · Nancy Rivard, Founder and President of Airline Ambassadors · Carol Smolenski, Executive Director, End Child Trafficking and Pornography (ECPAT), USA · Craig Kalkut, Vice President of Government Affairs, American Hotel & Lodging Association Additional panelists may be added. |
FIGHTING HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM:
Saber Rock, Nancy Rivard and Congressman Chris Smith who opened the Briefing.
Testimony to the Helsinki Commission May 7, 2018
Fighting Human Trafficking in Travel and Tourism – New Challenges and Solutions”
Airline Ambassadors International (AAI) is a non-profit organization made up of members in the airline industry, which has led advocacy on human trafficking awareness since correctly identifying trafficking on four flights in 2009. We developed the first “industry specific” training which has been provided to 6,000 frontline personnel at 70 airports in the U.S. and around the world. Our work will be highlighted at the release of the new ICAO Guidelines in Geneva and at the IATA Cabin Safety meeting in Bangkok this month.
Because the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2016 made it mandatory for U.S. airlines to train flight attendants, most airlines are utilizing the Blue Campaign’s excellent on line training materials. Delta is still out front – in 2018 they launched an enhanced training tailored for Delta’s 54,000 employees, initiated an apprentice program for trafficking survivors, hosted events to motivate employees, an event for Atlanta based CEO’s and launched a test with new airport signage. This year American Airlines joined Delta and signed the ECPAT Code of Conduct. JetBlue is also committed and was highlighted at the IATA General Meeting last May.
International airlines are jumping on board too. Air Asia and Air Emirates launched initiatives last year and AeroMexico and Copa have joined the international fight by joining the UNODC Blue Heart Campaign.
There are successes:
Airline Ambassadors provided training in Sacramento airport which is proactive for awareness. In February this year, Sacramento AA Agent, Denice Miracle, noticed two girls, aged 15 and 17 who were traveling on a one-way ticket to do some modeling for a man they had met on Instagram. They had told their parents they were spending the night at each other’s houses, Her alertness and critical thinking saved those two girls.
Congress can help by strengthening the laws to encourage airlines to provide training to all employee groups, (including agents, pilots and more). Funding should be increased so the Blue Campaign to provide live trainings to training staff of the 33 major airlines in the U.S. The on line trainings are very good, but many employees to not pay close attention and is often not even mentioned in annual recurrent trainings. Some employees still are not taking the issue seriously.
Here are three examples:
- Last March on a flight from Rome to Chicago all 8 flight attendants were sure that a 50 year old American man was trafficking a 7 year old Albanian girl, they reported it to the pilots (even pointing to the manual where the pilots should radio to alert the upcoming airport), but the pilots refused saying that they didn’t want to get the man in a lot of trouble. “This has never been mentioned in pilot training, and we are not going to take the chance.”
- Agents in Houston heard that we provided an airport training and said “When is someone going to train us? We see potential trafficking every day!”
- I visited airline operations and asked what action they would take if a pilot radioed in a suspected human trafficking cases. They answered “No action – human trafficking is not a threat to aircraft security.” They also need to be trained.
Funding should specify that Train the Trainers (for training staff) should include actual trafficking survivors, to make the issue real, motivating trainers to emphasize this during annual recurrent training.
Airports – also play a key role in awareness:
We helped Chicago, Las Vegas, and San Francisco Airports to implement a training video for all badged employees. Atlanta, Houston, Minneapolis and Sacramento have also been proactive. The DHS Ad campaign is in most Customs areas and A21 signage is in Chicago and New York airports. 1000 “Tips” have been submitted through Airline Ambassadors Tip Line App that is given to our airport trainees. We are saving lives.
However, many airports have not been receptive to offers of training like Los Angeles and Miami. They have said live training is not needed, and there are no resources to support it.
But we know training IS needed. Donna Hubbard, noticed a woman crying outside the bathroom at MIA Airport. She stopped to talk – and the girl said that a man she had met at a bar the night before bought her a ticket on the flight to New York, but she didn’t want to go to New York….she wanted to go home to her mother. Donna contacted the airport police, who intimidated the girl until she said nothing was wrong. It was Donna, a human trafficking survivor herself, who helped intervene and did get the girl back to her mother.
The Human Trafficking Investigations and Trafficking Institute has one of the best trainings out there for law enforcement, but most airports or police departments are reluctant to invest their limited training funds in human trafficking awareness training because it is not mandatory at the state level. Officers continue to treat victims as suspects, not a victim centered approach. Training resources need to be increased for training of travel industry personnel and law enforcement, as coordination is critical to end modern day slavery.
Motivating the Private Sector
Although the private sector is critical in this fight, most airlines truly do not understand the importance of human trafficking awareness and hesitant to integrate new actions into their corporate cultures. They are nervous that vigilante flight attendants will make false accusations and cause a lawsuit and no real motivation to ensure proper training for employees, eliminate trafficking in the supply chain or adopt policies to provide job opportunities for victims. We sent a letter to the CEO’s of 24 airlines and hospitality companies to requesting their openness to hiring survivors of human trafficking – only the American Bus Association responded!
Support is needed to mobilize private sector partners. It was the Caux Roundtable Japan who encouraged All Nippon Airlines to host our presentation in Tokyo last month. If the U.S. joins the international UNODC Blue Heart Campaign, along with 18 other nations, with actress Mira Sorvino at the Goodwill Ambassador, it would encourage airlines, transportation and hospitality companies in the direction of social responsibility.
The critical infrastructure of our transportation system can no longer be used as a tool to implement human trafficking, or modern day slavery. This is also the fastest growing crime in the world. It is linked to drug trafficking, human smuggling, arms trafficking and terrorism, also a cabin safety issue.
In the words of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, the largest flight attendant union in the U.S.:
“We are committed not only to preparing our membership to recognize and report suspected instances of human trafficking, but also to raise public awareness of the problem…putting an end to human trafficking will require a coordinated effort and commitment of the entire transportation industry.”
Christina Andersen, the New York Regional Director for Airline Ambassadors, was awarded the prestigious Chairman’s Award from American Airlines in April for her more than ten years of leadership in supporting the UNICEF Change for Good program. Flight attendants known as Champions for Children volunteer to collect leftover change or donations on international AA flights to support UNICEF. This program is a unique way for flight attendants to make a difference and is now generating over $ 1 Million per year!
Airline Ambassadors helped re-launch the Champions for Children program on American Airlines.
Christina, also a Board member for Airline Ambassadors, was with us in Haiti after the earthquake where Airline Ambassadors brought in 17 airplanes of Aid and implemented a grant from UNICEF to build seven Safe houses throughout the country. See this Video
National Volunteer Month: A Heart for Others
American Airlines recognized PHX based Stefanie Lathos-Polanco during National Volunteer Month by highlighting her in the March/April edition of Celebrated Living, AA’s inflight magazine available in First and Business Class. They asked her to reflect on what Women’s History Month and National Volunteer month mean to her. Here is the article:
Spring is one of the most wonderful times of year. As a flight attendant, I have the privilege of seeing colors change and flowers bloom all across the country. It’s a chance for all of us to feel more alive, inspired and ready for a fresh start. It’s also a season that blends two celebrations close to my heart: Women’s History Month in March and National Volunteer Month in April. For me, the combination is natural. I’ve been volunteering since I was a little girl. My dad dedicated his entire career to volunteerism, and both of my parents instilled in me the importance of giving back. Doing this work, I learned that when you open the door to a young girl’s dreams, you can ignite her passion and enrich her life. And when you open her heart to helping others, you create lifelong connections and compassion. I also saw an opportunity to stand up for women and children, and empower them to take charge and make a difference.
That mission is what motivates my work with Girl Up, an initiative of the United Nations Foundation that helps girls’ dreams become reality no matter where they are born. It’s also why I volunteer as a nongovernmental representative of Airline Ambassadors International at the U.N.: to harness the power of travel – and the kindness of travelers – to help and protect underprivileged children. I’m proud to say American supports me every step of the way in these endeavors, in the same way they support giving back to the communities we serve. One example is our UNICEF Change for Good program, which allows customers to donate spare change on select international flights to help kids in need. Last year, that effort generated more than $1 million.
Less visible but equally as important is the work my colleagues and I do behind the scenes, supporting causes that affect all of us: the fight against cancer, combatting human trafficking, supporting our troops and more. My upbringing and career have offered me some incredible opportunities to pay it forward and to teach the next generation to do the same. As you read this, I hope you’ll consider how you can use your power and greatness to give back, because when we lift each other up, we all rise.
Stefanie Lathos-Polanco
Flight Attendant
Phoenix, Arizona (PHX)
Airline Ambassadors International and Just Ask Prevention Project teamed up to host an evening of mingling and merriment, but with a mission: to raise funds for the tools and resources needed in the fight against Human Trafficking on June 8, 2018 at the Hilton Springfield in Springfield, Virginia.
Here is local TV Coverage of the Event
Bill Woolf & Jodi O’Hern of Just Ask, and Nancy Rivard & Kavita Nanavati of Airline Ambassadors International, hosted the event who have been leading the fight to educate and advocate for human trafficking awareness in the local communities and aviation community around the world.
The evening’s entertainment included:
- Live music performed by Downland
- A silent auction for items including two round trip tickets to Hawaii, an aerial tour of a scenic area within150 miles outside the Washington D.C. area, and many more items
- A raffle for other great prizes and gifts including 50/50 cash raffle
- Hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar
- Photos with Kavita Nanavati, Mrs. District of Columbia USA Ambassador 2018
Kavita acted as MC for the evening which included a talk by Barbara Wilson, author of “Mute, but now I speak”. Trafficking survivor Barbara Amaya also attended the event and had a table with her books also – “Nobody’s Girl”.
UN Agency Urges Mandatory Training to Combat Human Trafficking on Flights
FILE PHOTO: Activists take part in a ‘Walk for Freedom’ to protest against human trafficking, in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, October 17, 2015. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch/File PhotoREUTERS
4/23/2018 BY ALLISON LAMPERT
MONTREAL (Reuters) – Airlines should offer mandatory training to prevent human trafficking, the United Nations’ aviation agency said in a new document that could further empower cabin crew on the front lines of global efforts to combat such trafficking.
Civil aviation authorities should “require” carriers to teach staff to identify and respond to trafficking, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) said in new training guidelines for cabin crew co-published on Monday with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
While the United States already requires mandatory training for flight attendants, it was not known whether other countries that don’t have similar rules would follow suit.
Combating human trafficking, estimated as the world’s second most profitable trans-national crime according to the document, has emerged as a growing concern for global aviation. Airline trade group International Air Transport Association is eying ways to strengthen the training efforts its members are already doing “which should be announced later this year,” an IATA spokeswoman said.
“It (airline involvement) is starting to spread,” said Martin Maurino, safety, efficiency and operations officer with ICAO’s air navigation bureau. However, training programs offered by airlines like Emirates [EMIRA.UL] and budget carrier AirAsia are done voluntarily.
Canada’s Sky Regional is the first airline globally to train its pilots and flight attendants using the new UN guidelines on the identification and response to trafficking, Maurino and the carrier’s in-flight director, Mikaela Dontu, said.
Training advocates argue that countries should make such programs mandatory for airline flight attendants, pilots and ticket agents. “It’s excellent if they can do it voluntarily but the airlines weren’t doing that,” said Nancy Rivard, a former flight attendant and president of the non-profit Airline Ambassadors International. Flight attendants, who can spend hours with suspected traffickers and their victims in the air, have been credited with multiple rescues. While the guidelines apply to cabin crew, ICAO also recommends training pilots and ticket agents. “The issue of trafficking and combating this issue involves several stakeholders,” the guidelines say. The UN guidelines advise flight attendants not to confront traffickers or try to rescue the victim themselves. More than 70,000 U.S. airline staff have been trained to spot smugglers and their victims under the Blue Lightning initiative, launched in 2013 with the support of JetBlue, Delta Air Lines and others.
(Reporting By Allison Lampert; Additional reporting by Tim Hepher in Paris; Editing by Bernadette Baum; Editing by)
Copyright 2018 Thomson Reuters. Link to story here
The new International Civil Aviation Organization Guidelines will be formally introduced on May 28 at the office of the UN High Commission on Human Rights. Donna Hubbard has been invited as keynote speaker to share about the work of Airline Ambassadors International See Below :
Ms. Donna Hubbard
Human Trafficking Awareness Trainer
Airline Ambassadors International
Dear Ms. Hubbard,
I have the pleasure to inform you that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) will hold the Joint Forum on Combating Trafficking in Persons in Aviation at the Centre International de Conférences Genève, in Geneva, Switzerland on 28 May 2018.The forum will bring together for the first time, in a high-level setting, Member States, aviation industry, partners and key players in the field of human rights to discuss the important role that aviation plays in addressing the problem of trafficking in persons. The forum will also include an interactive exhibit to gain hands-on knowledge of issues related to trafficking in persons.
I would like to extend an invitation to you to speak at the forum and present the Airline Ambassadors International’s initiative for combating human trafficking in aviation to combat human trafficking and the impact of trafficking in persons on victims. Information pertaining to the forum, tentative programme and online registration is available at: www.icao.int/meetings/HTForum2018.
Yours sincerely,
Director
Air Navigation Bureau
cc: President, Airline Ambassadors International
Airline Ambassadors inspiring survivor trainer, Donna Hubbard was honored as a one of five National Mothers of Achievement at the 2018 Luncheon in Washington DC on April 24, 2018. The inspiring event was attended by American Mothers at their annual conference with women from every state. Donna mesmerized the crowd opening with a song, and riveting everyone with her powerful testimony and how she turned her life around to a great job as flight attendant for American Airlines and her own non profit – Women at the Well Transition Center.
Also honored was Tonya Stafford, also another amazing survivor of human trafficking with her organization “It’s Going to be All Right”. Tonya was introduced by Sheila Wright-Greene of American Airlines and offered to become a trainer with our Airline Ambassadors team. Kudos to all Awardees!
