The US DOT has created an in-flight sexual assault task force

Suhyeon
Choi / Unsplash

• The US Department of Transportation is creating a
  task force to figure out how to combat incidents of in-flight
  sexual assault.
• The task force will make recommendations on best
  practices for US airlines relating to training,
  reporting, and data collection regarding sexual
  assaults. 
• The number FBI Investigations into in-flight sexual
  assaults increased by 66% between 2014 and 2017.

The US Department of Transportation is creating a task force to
figure out how to combat incidents of in-flight sexual assault.
The sexual assault task force will be a subcommittee of and
report to the Aviation Consumer Protection Advisory Committee
(ACPAC) that was reconstituted by Transportation Secretary Elaine
Chao on Thursday. 

“Recent reports of increased incidents of sexual assault
and misconduct onboard aircraft have highlighted concerns
regarding the response to such incidents,” the DOT said in a
statement.

Between 2014 and 2017, FBI investigations into in-flight
sexual assaults have increased by 66%, CNN reported.

The National In-flight Sexual Misconduct Task Force will
evaluate existing US airline practices in how they respond to and
report allegations of mid-air sexual assault by passengers. In
addition, it will make recommendations on “best practices and
protocols for US air carriers relating to training,
reporting, and data collection regarding sexual assaults onboard
aircraft.”

Read more: Here are all of the countries not
allowed to fly into the US.

The task force will consist of representatives from the
DOT; the US Department of Justice including the FBI, the Office
of Victims of Crimes, and the Office of Violence Against
Women; The Department of Health and Human Services; national
organizations that provide services to sexual assault victims;
consumer protection organizations; travel organizations, flight
attendants’ and pilots’ unions; state and local law enforcement
agencies; airports; and airlines. 
 

The ACPAC will review current aviation industry consumer
protections and make recommendations on how they can be
improved. 

The committee will convene for the first time in on
January 16, 2019, during which they will discuss the
“transparency of airline ancillary service fees” and the
involuntary bumping of passengers.