What: Human Trafficking victims are entering the Bay Area through the region’s airports. This is the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world. YOU are in a unique position to help identify victims and report incidents to bring rescue. Why: This training will raise situational awareness by teaching both warning signals and approved methods of how to handle a suspected trafficking situation. Who: Airline Ambassadors and Bay Area Anti Trafficking Coalition are partnering to provide training on Human Trafficking awareness in the airline industry. Congresswomen Barbara Lee and Jackie Speier along with Alameda County D.A. Nancy O’Malley will be guest speakers at this event. The training coordinates with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign and has been reviewed by the U.S. Department of State, and U.S. Department of Transportation.
Please invite your colleagues! See below for Media Alert
Please share the information about this training opportunity with your colleagues and invite them to participate!
DIRECTIONS TO TERMINAL 1, GATE 1 HOLD ROOM:
Enter Terminal Oakland International Airport, Terminal 1 and proceed up the ramp (toward TSA screening)
As you approach the TSA Screening Checkpoint, keep right. Entrance to training room is just to the right of the TSA checkpoint exit lane and will be marked with signage
MEDIA ALERT Date: April 9th, 2014
Media contact: Nancy Rivard angels@airlineamb.org (650) 489-5322
CONGRESSWOMEN SPEIER AND LEE, AND D.A. O’MALLEY TO KICK OFF OAKLAND AIRPORT HUMAN TRAFFICKING AWARENESS TRAINING
UPCOMING TRAINING: Oakland Airport International Airport Personnel with Congresswomen Jackie Speier and Barbara Lee, Alameda D.A. Nancy O’Malley, and ICE: Homeland Security Investigations
Training Date/Time: Tuesday, April 15th from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
MEDIA: 10-10:30 a.m.; media is welcome for the full training
Location: Terminal 1 Gate 1 Hold Room, Oakland International Airport
TRAINING HOSTS: Airline Ambassadors International & Bay Area Anti-Trafficking Coalition
Springtime and warmer weather increases travel to California and human traffickers are sending adults and children to the State for exploitative work through our region’s three busiest airports. The United States and the State of California have laws to protect victims and penalize perpetrators of human trafficking, which is commonly defined as people profiting from the exploitation of others, controlling them by force, fraud, or coercion.
Since minors currently are not required to carry identification in order to travel by airplanes entering and exiting U.S. airports, traffickers have been trying to use this to their advantage. Cases have been documented in which traffickers have misrepresented themselves as sports coaches, employers and family members of trafficked victims. Airport personnel at ticket counters, gates and other areas of airport operations are in a unique position to be able to identify potential victims and report potential incidents to law enforcement agencies in order to rescue victims and bring traffickers to justice.
Airline Ambassadors International (AAI) is partnering with the Bay Area Anti-Trafficking Coalition (BAATC) to conduct a 90-minute training with Oakland Airport personnel on Tuesday, April 15th, 2014. During this training, airport employees will learn the warning signs to look and listen for to identify victims and perpetrators of human trafficking.
AAI and BAATC completed a training of Mineta San Jose International Airport on January 23rd, 2014 with Congressman Mike Honda. San Francisco International Airport held a similar training in March 2012 in conjunction with Congresswoman Speier.
ALL AIR TRANSPORTATION PERSONNEL ARE INVITED TO ATTEND FROM 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
MEDIA ARE WELCOME FROM 10 a.m.-10:30 a.m. and for the full training
RSVP: angels@airlineamb.org
“I commend the Oakland Airport and its partners for coordinating this important training to combat sex trafficking, a heinous crime,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. “It is our duty to protect the voiceless men, women and children who are trafficked at an alarming rate in the United States and abroad. By educating airport personnel on key warning signs of sex trafficking, airport workers will be empowered to identify victims, and coordinate their rescue with local law enforcement, thus preventing this form of modern-day slavery.” Congresswoman Barbara Lee
“Human trafficking is modern day slavery and absolutely intolerable,” Speier said. “Trained airline and airport workers at all three major airports in the Bay Area will make it much more difficult for traffickers to bring their victims here. Our message to them is clear: the Bay Area does not tolerate the sale of human beings.“ Congresswoman Jackie Speier
“Human trafficking, by its very nature, is a crime that crosses regional, national and international borders. Training airport personnel to recognize human trafficking and to take action is vital to our joint efforts to combat this form of modern day slavery,” states DA O’Malley. “I applaud the leadership of Congresswomen Speier and Lee, as well as airport and airline officials in this effort. We must all work together to rescue trafficking victims and bring the offenders to justice.” Nancy O’Malley, Alameda County District Attorney
“Increased awareness and education at Oakland Airport cuts off this entry/exit point for traffickers. The U.S. State Dept. has determined that transportation professionals are among the best-placed to identify trafficking situations.” Nancy Rivard, President, Airline Ambassadors
“Airport personnel are our first line of defense. With an increase in human trafficking through the Bay Area and other U.S. airports, we are being proactive. The threat of human trafficking tends to be heightened around major sports and entertainment events. With the Super Bowl coming to Santa Clara in 2016, we want to act now to offset that threat. Betty Ann Boeving, Exec. Director, BAATC
