Flight Attendants and Senators Urge Congress to Pass Human Trafficking Awareness Legislation
Legislation included in the Senate FAA Reauthorization Bill Would Require Training for Airline Workers
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 16, 2016) – The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) called on Congress to move forward on the FAA Reauthorization bill which includes a provision to train airline workers to combat human trafficking on commercial airlines.
“Trained Flight Attendants can serve as 100,000 eyes in the skies to save lives by recognizing and reporting signs of trafficking,” said Sara Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA. “We join Senator Klobuchar and Senator Warner to call on Congress to move legislation that will allow us to stop traffickers from using our skyways as a means to transport innocents to a life of slavery.”
“Hundreds of thousands of people in the United States are estimated to be victims of human trafficking, but too often, they are hidden in plain sight,” said Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA). “Bringing traffickers to justice and helping victims to safety requires a concerted effort. We need to use all available resources to assist law enforcement in identifying and protecting those who are being exploited. Fortunately, we have allies in the sky who are uniquely positioned to spot and report suspected cases of human trafficking,”
“Trafficking is now estimated to be the third largest criminal enterprise in the world. We need to ensure that flight attendants who are on the frontlines of the battle against trafficking are armed with the proper training needed to identify and report these heinous crimes,” ” said Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). “By working together to move our bill forward, we can help stop trafficking wherever it exists - on land, at sea, and in the sky.”
AFA supports several other provisions in the Senate and House FAA Reauthorization bills including 10 hours minimum rest, a Flight Attendant Fatigue Risk Management Plan, mechanical (non-chemical) disinsection on commercial flights, Ban on voice communications in flight, No Knives on Planes, and a FAA review of evacuation certification standards.
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The Association of Flight Attendants is the world’s largest Flight Attendant union. Focused 100 percent on Flight Attendant issues, AFA has been the leader in advancing the Flight Attendant profession for 70 years. Serving as the voice for Flight Attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill, AFA has transformed the Flight Attendant profession by raising wages, benefits and working conditions. Nearly 50,000 Flight Attendants come together to form AFA, part of the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afacwa.org.
