MIA stays vigilant this Human Trafficking Awareness Month
Miami International Airport is reminding its employees and visitors to be vigilant against the crime of human trafficking this month, which marks the 12th year of Human Trafficking Prevention Month in the United States and includes #WearBlueDay, or Human Trafficking Awareness Day, on January 11.
Since MIA joined the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Blue Lightning Initiative (BLI) training program on #WearBlueDay last year, nearly 1,300 MIA employees have been trained in how to identify and respond to the indicators of human trafficking.
MIA is the first airport in Florida to join the BLI program, and it continues to work on including more airport partners as participants. Ten airlines operating at MIA already participate in the program. Travelers will also see BLI messages in locations throughout their airport journey, such as security checkpoints, passport screening areas, and information counters.
MIA is encouraging everyone to join the Blue Campaign by wearing blue on January 11 to encourage public awareness about human trafficking. You can also participate in #WearBlueDay by posting a photo of yourself solo or with others on social media wearing blue with the hashtag #WearBlueDay and tag @DHSBlueCampaign on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
The Blue Lightning Initiative is an element of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign led jointly by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a DHS agency. BLI trains personnel to combat human trafficking within the commercial aviation industry.
If you suspect a case of human trafficking, report it to the DHS Tip Line at (866) 347-2423. To learn more about human trafficking, visit the span>DHS Blue Campaign website.