Why airports are crucial to the fight against human trafficking

Country singer and campaigner, Paul Brandt, shines a light on an illegal trade 

Paul Brandt is a man of many dimensions. He’s one of Canada’s most celebrated country singers. He’s a former registered nurse. And he leads Not In My City, a national organization that’s fighting human trafficking.  

Pearson has worked with Not In My City since 2022 to raise awareness of human trafficking and ensure that Canada’s busiest airport is equipped to detect and combat it.  

With Not In My City engaged in its annual #SeeingYellow summer publicity campaign – which references the organization’s Yellow Rose logo – we caught up with Paul to discuss where things stand in the fight against human traffickers and the vital role airport workers can play.        

What made you take on human trafficking? 

Everyone in this work has a moment when they’re confronted by the issue of human trafficking. For me, it was on a visit to Cambodia 14 years ago, where I met a trafficking victim who was just five years old. It was unbelievable to me that people had built a business around exploiting young children. In those moments, you hit a crossroads: Are you going to do something about it or not? I thought that when my daughter is old enough to ask what I did when I met that little girl, I want to be able to give her a good answer.   

What is the scale of the problem?  

Statistics are challenging to come by – one of the things we are trying to develop with Not In My City is a more robust data-collection system. But we know that there are 21 different types of human trafficking, including labour trafficking and sex trafficking, and that it is second only to guns and drugs in the illegal income it generates worldwide.  

How does Not In My City help? 

We are a facilitative organization that seeks to raise awareness of human trafficking and create a platform for collective action to address it. For instance, we bring together more than 100 investigators from across Canada to share best practices and coordinate their responses. We call these the Maddison Sessions, after a young woman who lost her life to trafficking in Alberta.  

What impact do you hope to have? 

I think of it like how we became more aware of risks like unattended luggage after 9/11. We don’t walk around afraid of every piece of luggage, but we know what to do when we see something suspicious. We need to apply the same thinking to human trafficking, so we can trigger a response from people who are specialized in dealing with trafficking and supporting its victims.  

What role can airports play in disrupting human trafficking? 

Human traffickers frequently move their victims around the country to elude law enforcement, and so they pass through airports. Because of the security, the camera systems and the number of eyes there, airports are very safe places and have a major role in disrupting trafficking activity. But we will be more effective if all airports can coordinate their responses as well.  

What’s the significance of the yellow rose?  

The yellow rose symbolizes hope and is a statement of support and solidarity. Survivors told us that if there was a universal brand that they could have seen in airports across the country, it would have helped them to understand where there was help, and that someone was looking out for them.  

What warning signs of human trafficking should airport workers look out for? 

You might see someone who isn’t in control of their documents or when they’re asked a question, somebody else speaks on their behalf. They may not know details of their travel plans, or they may be a young person travelling with someone claiming to be their parent or guardian but who is in fact not related to them. Other signs include buying last-minute tickets at the airport in cash or with a prepaid credit card, not being suitably dressed for the destination and having either a large amount of or very little luggage.  

Where can people find out more?  

The best place is to take our e-learning program. About 14,000 people have taken it, and we have one that is specific for airport workers. When I visited Fort McMurray recently, one of the airport security officers saw the yellow rose badge I was wearing. She had taken our e-learning course and said that about a month before she’d been able to identify a trafficking victim and knew what to do.  

We value the work that’s being done at Pearson, and we are looking forward to deepening that relationship by helping more people to take this program so that they are able to do something about this problem.