Airport staff trained to detect human trafficking in Britain

A special training program on lookout for victims of human trafficking and child marriage was launched on Monday at Manchester Airport for its 19,000 staff.

The program, as part of the Travel Safe Week campaign initiated by Britain's first female bishop Revd Libby Lane, is the biggest of its kind at Britain's third largest airport, aiming at qualifying its staff to spot and discern tell-tale signs of human trafficking victims.

"It's important that faith communities stand alongside statutory bodies and voluntary organizations as well as businesses in standing up for those who are most vulnerable," Bishop Lane said at the opening of the training program.

She expressed appreciations to Manchester Airport, airlines and companies based there as well as border police for their efforts to protect people from violence and exploitation.

Also present there was Manchester City Councillor Sameem Ali, a survivor of forced marriage who has campaigned to offer help to vulnerable teenage girls.

"The problems of human trafficking, forced marriage and exploitation belong to the whole community," she said. "The solution is therefore also to be found by the whole community, together, by sharing responsibility and creating awareness."

Every year, up to 1.2 million children suffer from human trafficking, according to UNICEF. The fast growing global crime is now the second largest source of illegal income worldwide, only behind drug trafficking. Endi