Training to Counter Human Trafficking

Combating Human Trafficking in the Transportation Sector Awareness Training

The U.S. Department of Transportation requires all employees to complete training on the recognition and reporting of human trafficking every 2 years. The course is also made freely available to transportation industry partners and the traveling public. 

Developed through the Department's Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking (TLAHT) initiative, the training was created in coordination with survivors who have lived experience of trafficking, federal partners, and stakeholders from across the transportation industry. The multimodal training is relevant for personnel working in aviation, maritime, motorcoach, rail, rideshare, transit, trucking, and other transportation environments. 

The TLAHT training is approximately 20 minutes in length, is available in English and Spanish, and is organized into three lessons:

1. What is Human Trafficking?
   Defines sex trafficking and forced labor, distinguishes human trafficking from human smuggling, and dispels common misconceptions about who is victimized and how.
    
2. Human Trafficking Indicators in the Transportation Sector
   Presents the behavioral and situational warning signs that may surface during travel, framed around the specific settings transportation workers and travelers encounter.
    
3. Reporting Suspected Human Trafficking
   Explains what to do upon noticing potential indicators, emphasizing that employees and the public should report rather than directly intervene, and how to contact the appropriate authorities.
    

Watch the Training

The TLAHT multimodal training is currently available online here. 

NOTE: An updated version of this training is currently in development.
 

Blue Lightning Initiative Training

The U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Lightning Initiative (BLI) trains aviation industry personnel to identify potential traffickers and human trafficking victims and to report their suspicions to federal law enforcement.

For air carriers, BLI offers a straightforward way to satisfy federal law. The FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016 requires air carriers to provide flight attendants with initial and annual training on recognizing and responding to potential trafficking victims. The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 broadened that mandate to include ticket counter agents, gate agents, and other public-facing personnel. Partnering with DOT and DHS to deliver the BLI virtual training is a simple means of meeting these obligations.

The BLI training is approximately 25 minutes in length and is comprised of four lessons:

1. What is Human Trafficking?
   Establishes a working understanding of human trafficking and the forms it takes.
    
2. Indicators of Human Trafficking Activity
   Illustrates common indicators aviation employees may encounter in the course of their duties.
    
3. Reporting Suspected Human Trafficking
   Details how to report concerns through in-flight and on the ground channels.
    
4. Indicator Challenge
   Reinforces the materials through applied scenarios that test the learner's ability to recognize indicators in context.

Learn more about the DOT/DHS Blue Lightning Initiative Training for the aviation industry.

To access the BLI training module, contact trafficking@dot.gov and BlueCampaign@hsi.dhs.gov.  Participation is open to domestic and international aviation industry organizations, including airlines, airports, associations, training institutes, university aviation programs, and aviation companies.