Airline Ambassadors and Innocents at Risk are partnering with Enough is Enough on a Safe WiFi Campaign in the travel and hospitality industries. Many Airlines, Airports and Hotels are not aware that filtering WiFi can be an important part of an anti-trafficking policy.
See body of letter being sent out this month in an effort to raise awareness for this cause.
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Traffickers are using the internet more than ever to lure young victims, and we would like to ask that United Airlines consider filtering in-flight Wi-Fi to ensure the safety of passengers and employees. Other airlines such as Delta, American and Southwest are already doing this, and this step is easy to implement as part of United’s commitment against human trafficking.
Airline Ambassadors is the only independent charity of the aviation industry. Innocents at Risk alerted us to the issue of human trafficking in 2009, and together we have become leading advocates raising awareness in the aviation industry of this horrific crime providing over 120 presentations in the US and around the world.
Our organizations are partnering with Enough Is Enough on their Safe WiFi Campaign in the travel industry by alerting airlines, airports, hotels and more about the importance of filtering WiFi from pornography and child pornography, both of which exploit children and women and also fuel sexual predation and trafficking.
By implementing a safe, friendly Wi-Fi policy and effective filtering, United will help to:
- Prevent passengers and crew from being exposed to sexually violent and exploitive pornography and sex abuse images when using your Wi-Fi services;
- Prevent sexual predators from accessing illegal child pornography and flying under the radar of law enforcement by using your Wi-Fi services;
- Avoid a potentially hostile and toxic environment, including sexual harassment, for passengers & crew;
- Maintain United’s leadership to ensure the safety of its passengers and crew by implementing effective Internet safety policies that include filtered Wi-Fi;
- Maintain consistency among digital and other airline best practices and passenger/crew-friendly policies.
Many in the industry are already taking proactive measures to train crews about the red flags of those potentially being trafficked, and the filtering of in-flight WiFi adds to the comprehensive efforts to prevent and combat further sexual exploitation. We look forward to setting up a Zoom call soon to discuss.
Sincerely,
Nancy Rivard, Airline Ambassadors Deborah Sigmund, Innocents at Risk Donna Rice Hughes, Enough is Enough
