GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – As thousands of football fans flock to the Bay area for Sunday’s NFC championship game, airports around the country are watching for signs of human trafficking.
If you ‘see something, say something’, that’s the message being pushed by staff at Austin Straubel International Airport as Packers fans travel out west for the weekend.
“It’s a nationwide initiative being pushed forward by the TSA and it’s exactly that if you see something, say something,” said airport director Marty Piette. “Specifically we are talking about human trafficking.”
Piette tells FOX 11 for the last couple of years, the Department of Homeland Security has implemented human trafficking awareness training at airports around the country, to help staff and law enforcement increase detection, and identify victims.
“I think there have been a couple of occasions that we have identified that may or may not have been a dangerous situation. It is reported and investigated.”
Anyone can be a victim of human trafficking, but it often goes undetected. When traveling, a victim may show signs of physical abuse, possess few or no personal items, or look distracted and withdrawn from their surroundings.
“It is hard to spot especially if you don’t know someone to know if their behavior has changed or acting differently then what you’ve known them to act before,” said human trafficking advocate Shelby Mitchell.
If you’re traveling this weekend and suspect that someone is a victim, Mitchell tells FOX you should report it as soon as possible.
“Try and get as much information as you can about the situation without getting directly involved and then reporting to local law enforcement so they can do the proper investigation.”
Click here to learn more about Human Trafficking Awareness month and how you can help local victims.
