Delta Airlines recently donated over 100 flights to human trafficking victims, as well as $1.5 million to a human trafficking hotline.
The airline company has been working on various initiatives to help shed light on the modern-day slavery that tragically takes place all over the world. The airline has launched in-flight videos, created career development programs for survivors, and has even trained their employees to be on the lookout for people being trafficked.
According to the International Labor Organization, there are an estimated 25 million people who are victims of human trafficking. Furthermore, a reported 71 percent of labor-trafficking victims have been reported to travel on a plane to the United States during their time in bondage, which shows the sizable role airlines play in this crisis.
Delta donated the $1.5 million to Polaris, the operator of the National Human Trafficking Hotline, which helps around 200 to 300 contacts a day.
This is not the first time that Delta has donated to the anti-human trafficking hotline, as they donated $1 million in 2017. Since donating, there has been a 36% increase in survivor contacts at Polaris.
Allison Ausband, the senior vice president of in-flight service at Delta and leader of the company’s executive steering committee against human trafficking, pointed out how their partnership has brought about positive, tangible results.
“It’s rewarding to see tangible results of our partnership with Polaris helping the fight against human trafficking, and watching our support change lives,” Ausband said.
“The problem of human trafficking has to be aggressively combatted from every angle, and for Delta that means getting our nearly 200 million customers and 80,000 employees onboard in the fight,” she said. “We all have a role to play and can make a difference.”
If you are a Delta SkyMiles member who wants to help out with this cause, you can donate your miles to Polaris. They will take your miles and put them towards flying survivors of human trafficking to safety through their SkyWish program.
Over 6 million miles have already been donated by both customers and employees to victims of human trafficking.
If you yourself, or someone you know has been part of a human trafficking ring, the National Human Trafficking Hotline is 1-888-373-7888.
