The flight attendant could sense something was “off” with the girl. So, she left a piece of paper and pencil in the bathroom for her if she wanted to communicate – and she did.
Shelia Fredrick, a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines was doing her daily job when she noticed a terrified, disheveled girl sitting next to an old man who was dressed nicely.
That’s when Fredrick knew something was not right, she managed to tell the girl under her breath to go into the bathroom. When the girl did so, she found a note on the mirror left for her.
“I left a note in one of the bathrooms. She wrote back on the note and said ‘I need help’ ” said Fredrick.
Frederick proceeded to go to the pilot and told him what was going on. And from there, the police were called and were waiting in the terminal when the plane landed, arresting the man. Frederick ultimately saved the girl from being a victim of human trafficking.
“I’ve been a flight attendant for 10 years and its like I am going all the way back to when I was in training and I was like I could have seen these young girls and young boys and didn’t even know,” she said.
Opposing Views added:
Since the flight, Frederick said she’s spoken to the girl a few times because she put her phone number on the note and the girl memorized it. The young woman is currently attending college.
Flight attendants are trained to spot the signs of human trafficking, which is how Frederick was able to recognize that the girl was in a potentially devastating situation.
“If you see something, say something,” she said.
The UN estimates that around 1.2 million children a year fall victim to trafficking. Boys and girls alike are exploited; exposed to things like cheap labor, illegal sex rackets, and begging for money. Sometimes they can even be turned into child soldiers.
These are obviously all things we can never accept. Thank God Fredrick was so attentive. Her quick thinking and courage helped save this girl’s life.
Watch the interview of Shelia Fredrick here: GoodMorningBritain/Youtube
Sources: OpposingViews, WTSP