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AUSTRALIA-AVIATION-TRAFFICKING-RIGHTS
Airlines to step up fight against human trafficking
SYDNEY, June 4, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Airlines are set to step up the fight
against human trafficking, global industry body IATA said Monday as it
released guidelines on how crews can act as “eyes and ears” to identify and
report suspected cases.
Human trafficking is the world’s fastest-growing criminal industry and the
second-largest after the drug trade, according to the US State Department,
and there is an increasing push for the aviation industry to take action.
“Many individual airlines are already involved and have launched anti-human
trafficking initiatives,” IATA’s assistant director for external affairs Tim
Colehan told reporters at the group’s annual meeting in Sydney.
“But until recently there has been no industry-wide initiative.”
Some 60 percent of human trafficking involves crossing an international
border, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The new guidelines will include checklists on how to identify suspected
cases and handle victims after landing.
“Cabin crew are in a unique position as they travel with passengers
sometimes for many hours and are able to spot even the smallest signals and
behaviours,” the IATA said.
The approach also involves coordination with airports and law enforcement
agencies such as border and customs agents.
Colehan added that while the extent of human trafficking within the
aviation sector was not known, new and emerging legislation around the world
required airlines to provide specific training to cabin crew.
The clear link between human traffic and international terrorism, according
to recent research, meant that airlines’ efforts to reduce the criminal
activity could deter terrorism within the aviation industry, he said.
The International Labour Organisation estimates that almost 25 million
people are victims of modern slavery.
Types of trafficking activities that the guidelines identify include
prostitution, child soldiers, organ removal, forced labour, debt bondage and
forced marriage.
Key transregional flows include from sub-Saharan Africa to the Middle East
and western and southern Europe, and from South Asia to the Middle East and
East Asia and the Pacific, according to UNODC.
BSS/AFP/MRI/1540 hrs