Screening for: Best Practice Guidelines and Recommendations for Health Care Providers

Abstract

Research has shown that human trafficking victims are not recognized by health care providers during their captivity [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. Early identification of human trafficking victims is critical because the average life expectancy of a patient who is either sexually exploited or forced into labor is seven years [6]. A validated screening tool and assessment guideline would reliably identify adult and minor victims of both sex and labor trafficking [1][2][3][4][5]7,[8][9][10][11]. Background and Scope of the ProblemHuman trafficking is a federal and international crime and is commonly regarded as one of the most pressing human rights issues of our time. Adult and minor victims are trafficked by force (rape, beatings, confinement), fraud, and coercion (Department of Homeland Security) [12]. Children are particularly vulnerable to predators on the Internet via websites and social media and by mobile devices (United States Department of Justice, 2020) [13][14][15]. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the number of suspected child-trafficking reports from 2010 to 2015 increased by 846 percent [16]. PrevalenceGlobally, sexual exploitation makes up 79 percent of all cases, and forced labor accounts for 18 percent (United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, 2020) [17]. Human trafficking affects every United States community, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic background (National Human Trafficking Hotline, 2020) [18-23]. The average American age at the time trafficking began for