This week a Southwest Airlines employee suspected a white mom with a black daughter of human trafficking and called the Denver police. As it turns out, the Mother and Daughter were family and the employee made a mistake. Now the mother is demanding an apology. I have some strong opinions on this story.
The family does deserve an apology. I'm sure the inquiry could have been traumatizing or at the very least, embarrassing and inconvenient. I also believe that we have to all be prepared to be embarrassed, inconvenienced, and even traumatized if we have any hope of putting a dent in #humantrafficking . Because what the victims of sex and labor trafficking have to endure makes any of our aggravation pale in comparison.
The most cost effective and impactful strategy to fight human trafficking is called Transit Monitoring. Trained Monitors stand alert at transit stations such as airports and use a proven checklist to determine if a situation warrants further investigation or questioning of individuals. Anything that looks even slightly out of the ordinary can raise a red flag. Using human discernment, organizations such as Love Justice International are making an impact on separating potential victims from suspected Traffickers and supplying law enforcement with good data to fortify prosecution. Of course, not every situation a Transit Monitoring team approaches is going to be an at-risk scenario but one can’t know until they ask some questions. Using this protocol we deliver about 300 people per month to freedom and keep them out of a cataclysmic life of slavery.
So let’s be prepared to gracefully cooperate with any earnest investigation of a questionable situation. If you’re dragging your temper-tantrum-throwing child through an airport and someone asks if you need some help, thank them. If someone wants to go deeper and question the differences of your family's skin color, consider the likelihood that people care and are doing their jobs. It's not about black or white. Skin color isn't on the Love Justice intercept form but we're trained to be on the lookout for anything that might warrant observation. I'll be working in Alaska and if I see a white person with an indigenous person I might be prone to look closer and the Native Alaskans on our team agree. A child of one race with an adult of another race should promote respectful consideration of any signs of distress. This isn't about race, politics, or religion. The tragedy of a child being sold for rape, slave labor, or organ harvesting EVERY 30 SECONDS transcends division. If we are all so precious that we can’t be confronted or embarrassed while people are being sold into sex trade, we would do well to consider the fate of over 40 million people who wish to God that we could get over ourselves and fight... together.