San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has announced expanded efforts to increase awareness of human trafficking. In partnership with Freedom Insight, all frontline airport employees will be required to take new training on how to recognize and report potential cases of human trafficking. The initiative will begin this January.
“Human trafficking is a US$150bn criminal enterprise affecting as many as one million people in the United States, and an estimated 38% of victims move through airports at some point during their exploitation,” said Erika Keaveney, executive director of Freedom Insight.
SFO was the first airport in the United States to have aviation personnel undergo specialized training to spot the signs of human trafficking. In January 2021, SFO completed an initiative to install placards in all airport restrooms encouraging victims to seek help, underscoring “SFO is here to help.” Restrooms were chosen because they are typically one of the few airport locations where a human trafficking victim may be separated from a trafficker, providing a small window of opportunity for a victim to text or call for help.
Over 1,000 placards have been affixed to the interior of every public restroom stall at SFO. The airport worked with the San Francisco Mayor’s Office, the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women, and various Bay Area human trafficking survivor advocacy groups to develop the appropriate message and visuals for the placards. Messaging on the placards has been translated into Spanish, Chinese and Tagalog.
Placards include a number to call or text, or a QR code to scan to obtain immediate help, with calls/texts routed directly to SFO’s on-site Communication Dispatch Center. A live SFO team member is available to respond 24/7. SFO dispatchers use an application that can translate incoming foreign language text messages to English and allows victims to receive a response in their preferred language, providing an essential communication bridge between victim and dispatcher. Through the use of QR codes on the placards, a victim’s location can be quickly pinpointed.
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