Calgary Airport-Human Trafficking

Calgary Airport

Human traffcking is a big issue in the aviation industry, with airports and airlines regularly training staff to spot tell-tale signs.

In fact, industry body IATA recently launched a campaign called #EyesOpen, with a view to facilitating “discussions between passengers, airlines and governments.”

One airport which is raising awareness of the issue on a local level is Calgary Airport, which has teamed up with a Canadian campaign called #NotInMyCity. Fronted by country and western singer Paul Brandt, the campaign seeks to combat sexual exploitation and human traffcking.

The Calgary Herald quotes Bob Sartor, president and CEO of the Calgary Airport Authority, in saying that millions of people come through the airport each year, making it the “ideal place to raise awareness.”

“We have a secret weapon at this airport and it’s called white hat volunteers. They are actually trained to see people who are in distress — usually these are people who can’t fnd their gate or don’t know which direction to go, but distress is distress. We expect to have close to 500 white hat volunteers this year. They’ll be a pivotal part of this campaign.”