SYDNEY: Airlines are set to step up the fight against human trafficking, global industry body IATA said on 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. “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). 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. Types of trafficking activities that the guidelines identify include prostitution, child soldiers, organ removal, forced labor, debt bondage and forced marriage.

Source: Manila Times June 04, 2018 09:00 UTC