Who is in Your Waiting Room? Health Care Professionals as Culturally Responsive and Trauma-Informed First Responders to Human Trafficking

Abstract

Evidence-based practice standards are not yet well defined for assisting potential victims of human trafficking. Nonetheless, health care professionals are learning to be first responders in identifying, treating, and referring potential victims. As more public and private sector resources are used to train health care professionals about human trafficking, more evaluation and research are needed to develop an effective standard of care. Adopting a public health lens and using the "National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care" can guide critical decision making and actions. Through collaboration between researchers and policymakers, lessons learned in health care settings can inform future evidence-based standards of care so that all patients receive the services that they need.

Sex Trafficking

“… Note . English (2017), Ernewein and Nieves (2015), Fraley and Aronowitz (2017), Gibbons and Stoklosa (2016), Goldberg et al (2017), Hornor (2015), Isaac et al (2011), Reid et al (2019), Rockinson-Szapkiw et al (2017), Rollins (2017), Varma et al (2015), and Washburn (2018). …”

“…The health care provider can act as a liaison between the trafficking survivor and the social services sector; however, the social service providers need to be ready to mobilize and provide shelter, meals, and rehabilitative services (Coughlin, Greenbaum, & Kitchen, 2020; Kennedy et al, 2021; Schwarz et al, 2016). At present, most facilities do not have programs and policies in place to facilitate this multidisciplinary approach (Rollins, 2017). In cases where these types of wraparound services are not available, working relationships should be established with local victim service agencies, law enforcement, and child protective services (Greenbaum, 2018).…”

“…In general, women and children (of both genders) are believed to be at higher risk than men, but for differing reasons. Trafficked women are likely to be of low social status with a lack of education and lack of economic opportunities (Helton, 2016), as 2017), Ernewein and Nieves (2015), Fraley and Aronowitz (2017), Gibbons and Stoklosa (2016), Goldberg et al (2017), Hornor (2015), Isaac et al (2011), Reid et al (2019, Rockinson-Szapkiw et al (2017), Rollins (2017), Varma et al (2015), and Washburn (2018). limited socioeconomic resources are inextricably linked to risk of trafficking (Finigan-Carr et al, 2019).…”

Identifying Human Trafficking Victims - World Leaders and Health Institutions

“…Trafficking is also a crime that involves controlling and transporting people to be exploited through labor or sex for monetary gain (Cokar et al, 2016;Testa, 2020). Children who are engaged in prostitution are victims of trafficking even in the absence of coercion or fraud (Preble et al, 2019;Rollins et al, 2017). The United States federal law defines human trafficking as the recruitment, transportation, harboring, obtaining, or provision of an individual for labor or commercial sex act by fraud, force, or coercion (Chisolm-Straker et al, 2019;Testa, 2020).…”

“…Eighty to ninety percent of trafficked victim have a history of sexual abuse during childhood(Hachey & Phillippi, 2017). Other groups that are more vulnerable to trafficking include children who (a) have been neglected, been a foster or runaway child, been a part of the juvenile justice system, disabled or undocumented people, migrant workers, poor individuals with low income; (b) people from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer group; and (c) racial and ethnic minorities(Gibbons & Stoklosa, 2016;Moore, 2018;Rollins et al, 2017). Mental illness, domestic violence, substance misuse in the home, and family dysfunction are predisposing factors in the vulnerability to trafficking(Basu et al, 2021;Hachey & Phillippi, 2017).…”