乘务员训练甄别人口贩卖

 

Flight attendant Sheila Fedrick says she knew something was wrong when she saw a teenage girl with greasy¹ hair sitting on an airplane next to an older man.

The girl had bruises³, possible evidence that she had been hurt. The man, however, appeared very well-dressed.

When Fedrick tried to talk to them, the man became defensive⁴. So the flight attendant left a note for the girl in a bathroom. The girl later wrote back a message that said “I need help.”

Fedrick was able to inform the pilot of the Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to San Francisco. The pilot spoke⁵ to police officials on the ground. By the time the plane landed, officers were waiting for the girl and the man at the airport. She later learned the girl was a victim of human trafficking.

Keeping the skies safe

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation⁶ says human trafficking is thought to be the third largest criminal activity in the world. Trafficking involves the illegal transport of people from one country or area to another. This is usually done to force victims into forced labor⁷ or the sex trade.

Human traffickers have often used airplanes as a way to quietly transport their victims. Yet one group, Airline Ambassadors International, or AAI, is training airline and airport workers to recognize signs of human trafficking. The goal is to give more workers the same kind of skills and sensitivity Fedrick has.

AAI was the idea of Nancy Rivard, a former flight attendant. She founded the group as a way for flight attendants to help vulnerable children directly.

Rivard said AAI developed the first industry-specific training on human trafficking and trafficking awareness⁸. She said that training just one person can have a big effect.

“Every flight attendant sees 500 people a week minimally… that’s 2,000 (people) a month and 24,000 (people) a year. So training 100 front line employees enables them to scan 2.4 million passengers.”

Airline support

Rivard said it has not always been easy to persuade airline companies to collaborate⁹ with her group.

“All airlines are required to train both pilots and flight attendants annually¹⁰. And including us in the security section of training would seem simple enough to do. But the airlines were not that receptive, originally.”

Rivard told VOA that AAI can spend about $3,000 to set up one training program -- or $5,000, if it’s international. The group contacts airport directors for a place to hold the classes, but AAI usually has to raise the money for the training itself.

Red flags

Rivard says the training program is divided into three parts. The first part is a description of human trafficking. Then a trainer, who usually is a survivor¹¹ of trafficking, discusses the effects of trafficking on victims. The final part of the program discusses how to recognize and report human trafficking in an airplane or airport setting.

There are many signs to look for.

“We teach our crews … to be aware of victims and be aware of who is traveling and who they are traveling with… Are they with or under the control of a companion… and to look for different indicators¹³ like they are not in control of their travel documents. They are frightened, ashamed, or nervous. In many cases, two or three cases I know of where the victim was not even allowed to use the bathroom on their own. They may be unsure of their destination. They may have bruises… If they have scripted or inconsistent stories … Many of them appear drugged and they probably are.”

Rivard also said sometimes victims are tattooed¹⁵ -- with a bar code or name like “daddy” printed on their skin.

Rivard says it is important not to try and rescue the victim when you first recognize the problem. This can endanger yourself and the victim. The most important action is to report what you see to police, with as many details as you can.

Sridhar Chillara is a volunteer with AAI. He used his trafficking awareness training while on a flight from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic to Newark, New Jersey¹⁶. He noticed two children that were being mistreated by two older people. He also saw that as they moved through the airport, they were passed to other individuals, both on and off the plane.

Chillara informed the flight attendants, who contacted the airport in Newark. He was later told that his report led U.S. officials to uncover a child pornography ring in Boston. Eighty-six children were saved.

How to report

Rivard says that if you see a situation suspected of human trafficking, there are several ways to report it.

In the United States, you can call 911, the number for emergency calls, or the Department of Homeland Security TIP hotline [phone] toll¹⁷ free in U.S. and Canada, or 802-872-6199 if outside the U.S.). This number is operational 24 hours a day. You can also call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.

AAI has developed a free computer app that lets users not only report what they saw, but they can upload photographs, audio, video, and GPS location.

Words in This Story

bruise² – n. a dark and painful area on your skin that is caused by an injury

dress – v. to put clothes on yourself

collaborate – v. to work with another person or group in order to achieve or do something

indicator¹² – n. a sign that shows the condition or existence of something

tattoo¹⁴ – n. a picture, word, etc., that is drawn¹⁸ on a person's skin by using a needle and ink

pornography – n. movies, pictures, magazines, etc., that show or describe naked people

vulnerable – adj. easily hurt or harmed physically¹⁹, mentally, or emotionally

app – n. a computer program that performs a special function

GPS location – n. The technology can pinpoint²⁰ longitude²¹, latitude²², ground speed, and course direction of the target somewhere in the world

awareness – n. knowledge and awareness of your own personality, character, or surroundings

1 greasy   

adj. 多脂的，油脂的

参考例句：

• He bought a heavy-duty cleanser to clean his greasy oven.昨天他买了强力清洁剂来清洗油污的炉子。
• You loathe the smell of greasy food when you are seasick.当你晕船时，你会厌恶油腻的气味。

2 bruise   

n.青肿，挫伤；伤痕；vt.打青；挫伤

参考例句：

• The bruise was caused by a kick.这伤痕是脚踢的。
• Jack fell down yesterday and got a big bruise on his face.杰克昨天摔了一跤，脸上摔出老大一块淤斑。

3 bruises   

n.瘀伤，伤痕，擦伤( bruise的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was covered with bruises after falling off his bicycle. 他从自行车上摔了下来，摔得浑身伤痕。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The pear had bruises of dark spots. 这个梨子有碰伤的黑斑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

7 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

8 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

9 collaborate   

vi.协作，合作；协调

参考例句：

• The work gets done more quickly when we collaborate.我们一旦合作，工作做起来就更快了。
• I would ask you to collaborate with us in this work.我们愿意请你们在这项工作中和我们合作。

10 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

11 survivor   

n.生存者，残存者，幸存者

参考例句：

• The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
• There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。

12 indicator   

n.指标；指示物，指示者；指示器

参考例句：

• Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
• His left-hand indicator is flashing.他左手边的转向灯正在闪亮。

13 indicators   

（仪器上显示温度、压力、耗油量等的）指针( indicator的名词复数 )； 指示物； （车辆上的）转弯指示灯； 指示信号

参考例句：

• The economic indicators are better than expected. 经济指标比预期的好。
• It is still difficult to develop indicators for many concepts used in social science. 为社会科学领域的许多概念确立一个指标仍然很难。

14 tattoo   

n.纹身，(皮肤上的)刺花纹；vt.刺花纹于

参考例句：

• I've decided to get my tattoo removed.我已经决定去掉我身上的纹身。
• He had a tattoo on the back of his hand.他手背上刺有花纹。

15 tattooed   

v.刺青，文身( tattoo的过去式和过去分词 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击

参考例句：

• He had tattooed his wife's name on his upper arm. 他把妻子的名字刺在上臂上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The sailor had a heart tattooed on his arm. 那水兵在手臂上刺上一颗心。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

16 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

17 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

18 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

19 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

20 pinpoint   

vt.准确地确定；用针标出…的精确位置

参考例句：

• It is difficult to pinpoint when water problems of the modern age began.很难准确地指出，现代用水的问题是什么时候出现的。
• I could pinpoint his precise location on a map.我能在地图上指明他的准确位置。

21 longitude   

n.经线，经度

参考例句：

• The city is at longitude 21°east.这个城市位于东经21度。
• He noted the latitude and longitude,then made a mark on the admiralty chart.他记下纬度和经度，然后在航海图上做了个标记。

22 latitude   

n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区

参考例句：

• The latitude of the island is 20 degrees south.该岛的纬度是南纬20度。
• The two cities are at approximately the same latitude.这两个城市差不多位于同一纬度上。