A stewardess rescued a human trafficking victim after she spotted a girl who she described as someone who “looked like she had been through pure hell.”
Shelia Frederick, 49, was working on an Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to San Francisco in 2011 when she discovered a greasy blonde-haired girl who age was about 14 or 15 years old on the plane together with a well-dressed older man.
She could then sense something was just not right.
“Something in the back of my mind said something was not right. He was well-dressed. That’s what got me because I thought why is he well-dressed and she is looking all disheveled and out of sorts?” Ms Frederick said.
When she approached and tried to speak to them, the man responded defensively while the girl remained silent.
Shelia then managed to whisper to the girl to go to the washroom. The girl understood immediately and found a note on the bathroom’s mirror left by Shelia herself.
The girl later replied on the back of the note saying, “I need help.”
Shelia instantly informed the pilots and they were able to relay the message to the police in San Francisco. The man got arrested as soon as the flight landed.
It was then confirmed that the girl was a human trafficking victim that just got her life saved by a flight attendant.
“I’ve been a flight attendant for ten years and it’s 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. If you see something, say something.”
The girl who is now attending college does not forget Shelia’s act of kindness hence she keeps in touch with her.
“I put my phone number on the note that I left for her and I guess she memorised it, so a few weeks later, she called me,” she said.
Human trafficking is a serious crime that everyone needs to be aware of.
According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, about 2,000 human traffickers were arrested and 400 victims were identified last year.
Text: Wanee Hassan / Good Times
