Practice of Medicine
article
Identifying and Responding to Human Trafficking
Human trafficking is a significant public health issue and many trafficked persons are likely to present to healthcare professionals with a variety of health problems. It is imperative for healthcare organizations to be educated about human trafficking, identify risk factors and potential indicators and respond appropriately.
Recommended Actions
- Educate staff regarding the signs of human trafficking so they are prepared to identify indicators and respond in an appropriate manner.
- Consider utilizing online resources on human trafficking to raise awareness among health professionals and increase their ability to recognize potential victims and respond appropriately.
Human trafficking involves the engagement of a person in labor or sexual exploitation using force, fraud or coercion. It is a significant public health issue that is associated with numerous adverse physical and behavioral health effects. Research suggests that healthcare professionals are likely to encounter child and adult victims during the course of their practice. In a recent study, almost 90% of sex trafficking survivors reported seeking medical services at some point during their victimization.1
Trafficked persons may present to emergency departments or clinics, to primary care or specialty care physicians, and to mental health providers. Common health problems include acute physical or sexual assault, sexually and non-sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy-related issues, depression, suicidality, substance misuse and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
It is critical that medical and behavioral health professionals are educated about human trafficking so they can identify risk factors and indicators and respond in a situationally and culturally appropriate manner. Yet many practitioners have received little or no education on trafficking and feel poorly prepared to recognize and assist victims. There is a need for a centralized resource for healthcare professionals to obtain high-quality education about human trafficking, as well as critical technical assistance to develop protocols and implement changes in practice.
The Institute for Healthcare and Human Trafficking (IHHT) assists medical and behavioral health professionals seeking information on all types of human trafficking (labor/sex; children/adults; domestic/international). The goals of IHHT are: 1) to raise awareness among health professionals about human trafficking; 2) to increase the ability of professionals to recognize potential victims and respond appropriately; and 3) to contribute to the body of research on human trafficking.
IHHT offers the following:
- Online resources for health professionals that include research articles, sample protocols, fact sheets, patient information sheets and other information
- Free onsite training for medical and behavioral health professionals to help staff develop the skills needed to recognize and intervene in cases of suspected human trafficking. The training includes a one-hour presentation with free CME/CNE credits; the session may be offered multiple times at large organizations to accommodate staff members.
- Free technical assistance for hospital or clinic staff to develop guidelines and protocols for responding to suspected human trafficking
Lessons Learned:
- Provide healthcare staff with educational resources including research articles and fact sheets aimed at identifying and responding appropriately to human trafficking.