Thanks to this flight attendant, a victim of human trafficking was saved. She saw that the girl was looking odd on the plane, yet she was accompanied by one well-dressed man.
The flight attendant, one Sheila Frederick, 49, was on her job at the Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to San Francisco when she spotted the girl who looked like she’s 14 or 15.
She says she immediately knew something wasn’t right.
She thought to herself ‘he’s well-dressed, yet why is she looking out of sorts?’
She Tries to Talk to the Man, but He Reacts Defensively
When she spoke to the two passengers, she says how the man became very defensive and the girl wasn’t talking.
During the flight, she decided to leave a note for the teen in the toilet of the plane. The girl later responded to this message writing ‘I need help’.
This is when Frederick alarmed the two pilots who communicated with the police in San Francisco. When the plane landed, the man was arrested.
The Importance of Recognize Human Trafficking Signs
This arrest comes during the efforts since of 2009 that train the American flight staff to recognize human trafficking signs.
Some of the common signs are a person who appears to be controlled by the other, a person who doesn’t make eye contact and a person who refuses to give answers.
Frederick explains she’s been a flight attendant for 10 years and after this training, she’s sorry for the previous boys and girls she may have seen and were potential victims, yet she didn’t know.
According to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, they’ve arrested 2000 human traffickers and 400 victims last year.
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