On Tuesday, Rep. Dina Titus of Nevada’s First Congressional District introduced the Secure our Skies (SOS) Act, legislation requiring training for airline industry employees to recognize and report human trafficking.
The legislation follows a national uptick in human trafficking and a groundswell of support from airline employees wanting to combat these crimes that often occur right in front of the public’s eyes.
The SOS Act builds on the work of the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Transportation campaign called Blue Lightning. This voluntary training program for airlines personnel was established in 2013.
Under the SOS Act, airlines and contractors must develop training materials for their employees that includes common indicators of human trafficking and best practices for reporting suspected cases to law enforcement.
Nevada is among the leading states for cases of reported human trafficking. In 2013, there were 81 reported cases of trafficking. In 2015, those numbers increased to 133 reported cases, a quarter of which involved children under 18. Of those 133 reported cases, 114 involved sexual exploitation.
