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On July 1, 2010, Innocents at Risk’s Deborah Sigmund, along with representatives from ICE, CBP, the Department of State, American Ambassadors, and American Airlines, presented on the work they have been doing to raise awareness about human trafficking on flights and streamlining the process of reporting trafficking situations. Other key individuals who came include Congressman Frank Wolfe, Congressman Joe Pitts, Congressman Trent Franks, and Congresswoman Cathy Rodgers McMorris. Representative Chris Smith opened with remarks about how cooperation between ”trailblazing” organizations like Innocents at Risk and governmental organizations are the key to success. Amy O’Neill Richard, Senior Advisor to the Director at the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons at the U.S. Department of State, presented next, celebrating the 10th anniversary of both the UN trafficking protocal and the TIP report, which for the first time includes the United States. Richard emphasized the new four-P paradigm- prevention of trafficking, protection of victims, prosecution of criminals, and most recently, partnership of NGO’s, governmental agencies, and companies to combat human trafficking. She closed by suggesting that airlines maintain a zero-tolerance policy on trafficking and ask providers and contractors to do the same, and that they talk about the issue at trade shows, with TSA articles, on their websites and in public service announcements, and that they provide free travel for victims and hire trafficking survivors. Finally, she commended Chris Smith for his leadership on the issue, and praised Jet Blue and AirFrance for their efforts to raise awareness on the issue, and encouraged all companies to adopt an industry-driven, responsible tourism code that commits travel employers to train employees and raise public awareness. The second presentor was Erik P. Breitzke, Unit Chief of the Human Smuggling and Trafficking Unit of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Breitzke emphazised the difference between alien smuggling, which involves illegal movement, and human trafficking, which is exploitation-based. Human trafficking has more severe penalties, but is harder to police because explotitation must occur and be on American soil for smuggling to become a trafficking situation. Aliens however are an incredibly vulnerable population with little protection, and many don’t realize they are victims or do not know how to get help. It is difficult to know the effectiveness of ICE, because they want to address vulnerable populations before exploitation occurs. That is where organizations like Innocents at Risk and other NGO’s come into play. Breitzke closed by stressing the importance of partnership and leveling a multidiscipline approach to the issue of human trafficking. Christopher Dombek spoke as well of the importance of partnership. He explained how Innocents at Risk approached him with the issue of how to report human trafficking in the air. Before, airline personnel were only able to report suspected trafficking to a TSA agent after leaving the plane, leaving only seconds to react before the criminal escaped. This made it very difficult to actually intervene. However, working in a series of meetings with Innocents at Risk, CBP was able to work out a way for flight attendants to report trafficking directly to ICE or the national hotline, now run by the Polaris Project, giving authorities hours to learn details about the incidence and prepare to intervene effectively. They are now working on a unified system of codes in order to make reports more informative and efficient.

The NGO panel came next. Deborah Sigmund, Founder and Director of Innocents At Risk, spoke eloquently about the work that has been done on this initiative, and all that we can do to continue to change the way trafficking is fought. Her speech is below.

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 Chigago 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.

Nancy Rivard is President and Founder of Airline Ambassadors, a humanitarian relief organization that escorts kids who need medical care, puts vulnerable children in safehouses, and is the only independent relief organization in the world. Airlines Ambassadors teamed up with Innocents at Risk when Rivard saw an article about Deborah Sigmund and invited her to a training session. Rivard spoke passionately about the power that just a few educated individuals have to save children from trafficking. On a recent mission to orphanages in the Dominican Republic (see more here), Rivard, Sigmund and others were able to spot and assist the flight attendants in reporting three incidences of trafficking. Just on one flight! She urged all airlines to adopt corporate social resonsibility commitments for their company, and to put into place emergency procedure training on trafficking, as well as ensure crew briefing, and provide information in bulletins and in-flight media about what trafficking looks like and what you can do to stop it. She also encourages us all to observe who is on each flight that we are on, and to be especially aware of chidlren and young women traveling alone. Just one (non-confrontational!) conversation about what they are doing can give you a lot of insight as to whether this situation is right.

Innocents at Risk would like to thank Congressman Chris Smith for all of his leadership, speakers Amy O’Neill Richard, Erik P. Breitzke, Christopher Dombek, and Nancy Rivard for their eloquance, and Congressmen Frank Wolfe, Joe Pitts, Trent Franks, and Cathy Rodgers McMorris for their support. This briefing was an enormous success!

Check out the photos here!


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News & Media Press Releases In The News Videos About Us Headlines Nepal Blog Website produced by Mike Carson Creative	News & Media On July 1, 2010, Innocents at Risk’s Deborah Sigmund, along with representatives from ICE, CBP, the Department of State, American Ambassadors, and American Airlines, presented on the work they have been doing to raise awareness about human trafficking on flights and streamlining the process of reporting trafficking situations. Other key individuals who came include Congressman Frank Wolfe, Congressman Joe Pitts, Congressman Trent Franks, and Congresswoman Cathy Rodgers McMorris. Representative Chris Smith opened with remarks about how cooperation between ”trailblazing” organizations like Innocents at Risk and governmental organizations are the key to success. Amy O’Neill Richard, Senior Advisor to the Director at the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons at the U.S. Department of State, presented next, celebrating the 10th anniversary of both the UN trafficking protocal and the TIP report, which for the first time includes the United States. Richard emphasized the new four-P paradigm- prevention of trafficking, protection of victims, prosecution of criminals, and most recently, partnership of NGO’s, governmental agencies, and companies to combat human trafficking. She closed by suggesting that airlines maintain a zero-tolerance policy on trafficking and ask providers and contractors to do the same, and that they talk about the issue at trade shows, with TSA articles, on their websites and in public service announcements, and that they provide free travel for victims and hire trafficking survivors. Finally, she commended Chris Smith for his leadership on the issue, and praised Jet Blue and AirFrance for their efforts to raise awareness on the issue, and encouraged all companies to adopt an industry-driven, responsible tourism code that commits travel employers to train employees and raise public awareness. The second presentor was Erik P. Breitzke, Unit Chief of the Human Smuggling and Trafficking Unit of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Breitzke emphazised the difference between alien smuggling, which involves illegal movement, and human trafficking, which is exploitation-based. Human trafficking has more severe penalties, but is harder to police because explotitation must occur and be on American soil for smuggling to become a trafficking situation. Aliens however are an incredibly vulnerable population with little protection, and many don’t realize they are victims or do not know how to get help. It is difficult to know the effectiveness of ICE, because they want to address vulnerable populations before exploitation occurs. That is where organizations like Innocents at Risk and other NGO’s come into play. Breitzke closed by stressing the importance of partnership and leveling a multidiscipline approach to the issue of human trafficking. Christopher Dombek spoke as well of the importance of partnership. He explained how Innocents at Risk approached him with the issue of how to report human trafficking in the air. Before, airline personnel were only able to report suspected trafficking to a TSA agent after leaving the plane, leaving only seconds to react before the criminal escaped. This made it very difficult to actually intervene. However, working in a series of meetings with Innocents at Risk, CBP was able to work out a way for flight attendants to report trafficking directly to ICE or the national hotline, now run by the Polaris Project, giving authorities hours to learn details about the incidence and prepare to intervene effectively. They are now working on a unified system of codes in order to make reports more informative and efficient. The NGO panel came next. Deborah Sigmund, Founder and Director of Innocents At Risk, spoke eloquently about the work that has been done on this initiative, and all that we can do to continue to change the way trafficking is fought. Her speech is below. 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 Chigago 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. Nancy Rivard is President and Founder of Airline Ambassadors, a humanitarian relief organization that escorts kids who need medical care, puts vulnerable children in safehouses, and is the only independent relief organization in the world. Airlines Ambassadors teamed up with Innocents at Risk when Rivard saw an article about Deborah Sigmund and invited her to a training session. Rivard spoke passionately about the power that just a few educated individuals have to save children from trafficking. On a recent mission to orphanages in the Dominican Republic (see more here), Rivard, Sigmund and others were able to spot and assist the flight attendants in reporting three incidences of trafficking. Just on one flight! She urged all airlines to adopt corporate social resonsibility commitments for their company, and to put into place emergency procedure training on trafficking, as well as ensure crew briefing, and provide information in bulletins and in-flight media about what trafficking looks like and what you can do to stop it. She also encourages us all to observe who is on each flight that we are on, and to be especially aware of chidlren and young women traveling alone. Just one (non-confrontational!) conversation about what they are doing can give you a lot of insight as to whether this situation is right. Innocents at Risk would like to thank Congressman Chris Smith for all of his leadership, speakers Amy O’Neill Richard, Erik P. Breitzke, Christopher Dombek, and Nancy Rivard for their eloquance, and Congressmen Frank Wolfe, Joe Pitts, Trent Franks, and Cathy Rodgers McMorris for their support. This briefing was an enormous success! Check out the photos here! Recent Press Coverage Innocents at Risk in the News View More Articles Recent Media State Legislatures Step Up to Fight Human Trafficking July 20, 2010 State legislatures step up efforts to fight human trafficking By Michael W. Savage Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, July 19, 2010; A03 A burst of activity among state legislatures to target human trafficking has ushered in dozens of laws to step up criminal penalties against traffickers and offer new help to victims. The laws focus on practices that have remained largely hidden — traffickers’ coercion of victims into becoming prostitutes, forced laborers or domestic slaves. Some states have introduced measurers that criminalize human trafficking specifically for the first time. Advocates say the efforts signal that lawmakers are gaining a fuller appreciation of the scope of human trafficking. So far this year, more than 40 bills have been enacted and roughly 350 introduced. That compares with just eight bills adopted across the country in 2006, according to the Polaris Project, an anti-trafficking group based in Washington. Ann Morse, a director at the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), said bills tackling human trafficking are “the latest big trend.” The efforts have followed coverage of high-profile cases and a growing grass-roots campaign among advocates. The term “trafficking,” said Bradley Myles, executive director of the Polaris Project, “makes people think of whips, chains, brute force and channel slavery.” In reality, he said, traffickers may simply use threats or blackmail, or confiscate a victim’s travel documents to gain control over them. Victims have included U.S. citizens forced into work without being moved across a border. Washington state, which has been at the forefront of the issue, expanded its efforts this year amid fears that the Winter Olympics in nearby Vancouver, B.C., would be a major draw for traffickers. Among other things, new legislation ensured that hotline posters were displayed at rest stops throughout the state. “We were the first state to start all of this,” said state Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles (D), the sponsor of much of the state’s anti-trafficking legislation. “We’ve strengthened the law every year.” In 2009, she said, the state forced employers who bring in foreign workers to notify them of all labor laws and allow them to keep their travel documents. Laws also were passed this year in Vermont and Oklahoma, among other states, and they take a range of approaches. The D.C. Council passed a wide-ranging bill in June that criminalizes labor and sex trafficking. The law allows police to seize the assets of traffickers and includes more legal support for victims. A third party who benefits from trafficking can also be prosecuted. The new law also requires authorities to collect statistics to get a better understanding of the problem. Virginia has set up a commission to look at sex and labor trafficking in the state, with a report expected by January. The state adopted legislation in March 2009 that allowed abduction charges against anyone who used force, intimidation or deception to compel another person to perform work. This year, a new Virginia law allows vehicles used for trafficking to be confiscated. “I represent a large number of immigrants and learned more and more about the issue of trafficking,” said Virginia Del. Adam P. Ebbin (D), who sponsored one of the new laws. “By putting the code in place, I’m hopeful we can now combat it.” One woman in Virginia said she had come to the United States from her native Angola to become a domestic worker because of the promise of medical treatment for a long-term illness. Once here, she found herself working as a housebound slave for as much as 20 hours a day. The medical attention she was promised never arrived. Her captors would not allow her to leave the house alone, even chaperoning her to the grocery store, she said. Unable to speak English, she was trapped. A driver working for her employer told her she was not the first. He said “there were other women that were brought to work at the house, and they were all treated very badly, like slaves,” said the woman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear her captors would find her. “I don’t know what happened to them.” The woman said she cried every day during her incarceration, sometimes searching the house for pills she could use to kill herself. Only a chance encounter with a woman at a store who spoke her native language, and the intervention of a church group, led to her rescue. Given the volume of new legislation, the NCSL will formulate a policy statement on trafficking for the first time at its annual summit, to be held this month. The statement will allow the bipartisan group to work more closely with the federal government on the issue. Trafficking, said Sheri Steisel, an attorney for the NCSL, “touches both foreign and U.S.-born citizens, and it’s certainly an area that a lot of legislators have determined is a high-priority issue.” A significant rise in calls to the national human trafficking hotline, run by the Polaris Project since December 2007, suggests there is also a higher recognition of the problem among the public. “In the first month, we were getting around 300 or 400 calls,” Myles said. “Now we’re getting 900 to 1,000 a month.” Advocates said the next step is to translate the laws into convictions. So far, even in Washington, prosecutions remain relatively rare. Statistics documenting the problem are vague and vary widely. The government estimates that 14,500 to 17,500 victims of trafficking are brought to the United States each year. A study funded by the Justice Department found that almost 250,000 children fall into a category of trafficking victims because they are at risk of sexual exploitation. “The majority of the people who are implementing law enforcement and criminal justice responses across the country aren’t necessarily trained to identify it,” Myles said. “I think most estimates of this out there are underestimates.” View More Media
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State Legislatures Step Up to Fight Human Trafficking