AirAsia, one of the region’s biggest airlines, will train staff to fight human trafficking. The airline will be one of the first in Asia to help stop global crime, which comes at a time when an estimated 46 million people are living in slavery, and the industry draws a profit of around $150 billion.

The involvement of airlines, a major part of these businesses’ supply chains, can help tremendously. Planes transport thousands of children and adults each year, and they’re often taken to places where they become sex workers, domestic helpers or forced laborers.

The United Nations called on airlines to get involved by helping identify traffickers. AirAsia, based in Kuala Lumpur, flies millions of passengers each year to more than 110 destinations. The airline is training 5,000–10,000 staff members to spot signs of trafficking.

Some of those signs include young women or children who appear to be under the control of others and appear scared or nervous.

“We like to be able to have our staff know what to do if somebody comes up to them and says ‘I need help’,” said Yap Mun Ching, executive director, AirAsia Foundation. Similar training has been underway in the United States, but Asia is where some of the worst trafficking occurs.