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It is an unfortunate reality that trains, planes, cars, and other transportation modes are used by human traffickers in action.

Across the United States, more organizations have started spreading the word regarding the extent to which transportation workers can play a role in spotting, preventing, and reporting human trafficking.

Some states have even passed laws that require workers in transportation, hospitality, and other key industries to get the necessary training to help them know to detect human trafficking and then alert the proper authorities.

Given the extent to which human traffickers use transportation to actively commit crimes, this training will definitely come in handy.

Now, Alaska's Fairbanks International Airport is training its employees to help the fight against human trafficking.

A close look at Fairbanks International Airport's anti-human trafficking training

Amanda Stonecipher works as a safety officer at this particular Alaska airport. According to her, the training received by Fairbanks employees shall cover the following:

• How to tell someone is being trafficked
• Clues and indicators of human trafficking

So far, the Fairbanks safety officer says airport workers know why spotting human traffickers and their victims is so important. She moreover said that as a state, Alaska struggles with leading America in its rate of sexual assault.

The Fairbanks International Airport is likewise collaborating with the Transportation Department and the Department of Homeland Security in moving ahead with the Blue Lightning Initiative.

The Blue Lightning Initiative is led by multiple government agencies with the express purpose of helping workers in the airline industry spot victims of human trafficking, spot perpetrators of human trafficking, and know how to report this to federal authorities.

A great step for other airlines to follow

There is no telling how many human trafficking cases could be prevented or stopped if every US airline worker received the aforementioned training. At the end of the day, taking on human trafficking requires collective, collaborative efforts.

Traffickers often work together; the same also applies to the predators who choose to purchase from human traffickers.

The sooner everyone joins the fight against human trafficking, the sooner we can all root out modern-day slavery.

Anyone who wishes to report what they believe to be human trafficking can contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline via phone at 1 (888) 373-7888 or by text at 233733.