Sabre's Passport to Freedom online training program includes two scenarios, based on real events, designed to help employees recognize signs of human trafficking.
In one instance, a business traveler in a hotel bar in Beijing noticed two men at the bar with a very young woman who seemed about the age of the business traveler's own daughter. She had no handbag or cellphone and made no eye contact with anyone around her. When the bartender asked her if she wanted a drink, one of the two men quickly answered for her.
The two men left the bar with the girl and walked to the elevator. One man returned and continued meeting with other men and escorting them, one by one, to the elevator. The business traveler contacted the hotel manager, who notified authorities. Police arrested the men operating the ring as well as several customers.
In another scenario, a woman flying first class to Rome chatted with the young woman sitting next to her. The young woman was excited about her first trip to Europe and about flying first class. The older woman learned that the younger woman was flying to meet her boyfriend, whom she had met online and had never seen. The younger woman was a person with little support; her father was dead, and she had a rocky relationship with her mother.
The older woman quietly shared her concerns about the boyfriend with a flight attendant. The flight attendant contacted airline management. Upon landing in Rome, airport security had the young woman wait while they identified the boyfriend. There was a warrant for his arrest, and a gun and drugs were found in his car.
Other organizations report that their anti-trafficking efforts have proven effective.
A group of flight attendants belonging to Airline Ambassadors International returned home from a conference in the Dominican Republic on multiple airlines and saw incidents that looked like human trafficking. Their response led to the authorities busting a criminal ring responsible for trafficking 82 children.
Recently, Customs and Border Protection officers identified potential victims entering the country; that prompted an investigation leading to federal prosecution of a trio bringing women from Eastern Europe to the U.S. to work as prostitutes.
Follow Kate Rice on Twitter @krtravelweekly.