Malaysia Airlines Partners with SHUT to Reaffirm Commitment in Combatting Human Trafficking

KLIA, 3 August 2022: Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Stop Human Trafficking Association (SHUT), a non-governmental organisation in Malaysia that advocates the prevention of human trafficking, to reaffirm its commitment to combatting human trafficking. Through the MoU, both organisations will work together to develop specific role-based training modules on observing, identifying and reporting human trafficking victims onboard the flight and in the airport.

The MoU signifies both organisations’ efforts to better equip the airline's crew and ground staff to be more attentive in recognising and reporting possible victims of human trafficking and raising, awareness through a series of workshops, events, and campaigns. As a result, the partnership will help government and law enforcement personnel in their efforts to save vulnerable adults and minors from being trafficked throughout the world.

The signatories of the MoU were Malaysia Airlines Berhad’s Group Chief Operations Officer, Ahmad Luqman Mohd Azmi and SHUT’s President, Dini Dalilah Wan Nordin. The signing was witnessed by Datuk Seri Hamzah bin Zainudin, Minister of Home Affairs Malaysia, Tan Sri Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin, Group Chairman of Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) and Group Chief Executive Officer of MAG, Captain Izham Ismail.

The MoU was signed at the inaugural Aviation Against Trafficking in Persons Conference (AATIP-C) to provide a broader perspective and shed lights on the critical issue plaguing the country's aviation sector and was held in conjunction with World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.

Ahmad Luqman Mohd Azmi, said, “The aviation industry is crucial in the global fight against human trafficking. MAG believes that providing airport and airline personnel with training, materials, and information is an important step toward raising awareness and catching traffickers in the act, thus saving lives. With global borders steadily reopening, this demands for active cooperation with law enforcement agencies to devise pragmatic solutions to combat human trafficking and smuggling. This partnership with SHUT demonstrates our dedication to going above and beyond to safeguard every passenger, and it is consistent with the Group's core belief that ‘Safety and Security are in our DNA’.”

Dini Dalilah Wan Nordin, commented, “The economic crunch brought about by the pandemic has widened the group of vulnerable people due to the loss of income source and leaving more people desperate and in need to make ends meet. By working closely with our national carrier through the SHUT FLY-HT campaign, we will be able to stop the vulnerable people from being victims of human trafficking. I also hope to see more industry players to follow in the footsteps of Malaysia Airlines Berhad”.

The conference that was co-organised by MAB and SHUT has brought together speakers from various industries to discuss exciting topics on human trafficking in aviation, such as the impact on aviation for onboarding a victim, challenges when saving trafficked victims and the role of technology in encountering human trafficking in person. Over the years, MAB has undertaken several initiatives to combat the issue of human trafficking in the aviation business including a public exhibition in KLIA on anti-human and wildlife trafficking in 2017 to enhance the awareness about the issue among travellers and members of the public at KLIA. The airline has also collaborated with International Organization for Migration to train its crew and ground personnel on recognising and reporting potential human trafficking victims onboard and at the airport. Through this initiative, over 3000 crew and ground staff trained on anti-human trafficking enhanced and digitalised learning modules.