Human trafficking is a growing problem both globally, as well as nationally throughout the United States. The Hospitals in Pursuit of Excellence has recognized this, and organized a webinar for health care providers on the key role they could play in fixing this problem. The presenters for this webinar included Roy Ahn, Associate Director of Public Health at the University of Chicago, Laura Krausa, System’s Director st catholic health initiatives, and Dr. Wendy Macias from Massachusetts General Hospital.
To best address this problem, it’s imprtortant to know what all constitutes human trafficking. It can be defined as any of the following: sexual slavery, forced labor, forced begging, debt bondage, child soilders, or forced marriages, child soilders being the only one not seen in the United States. Approximately 21 million indisdviudsls are forced into labor trafficking alone globally as of 2016. Its difficult to tell exactly how many are in the United States, but in 2016, 26727 calls were made to the us trwfficking hotline.
So, how can healthcare providers make such an impact on this problem? Well, in the most recent study conducted in the survivors of human trafficking, 87.8% reported having an encounter with a healthcare provider while they were being trafficked, and it was unreported. To have such a high number seen by healthcare providers without being reported is astonishing. 63% of survivors seen were in emergency departments, of which it is estimated that only about 3% of providers have proper training on identifying those being trafficked. Primary care clinics saw about 22.5% of survivors, urgent clinics 21.4%, and planned parenthood at 29.6%. With all of these numbers in mind, it is clear that better education and planning need to take place in our healthcare systems.
While it may appear to be difficult to address such a hidden problem, there are many steps that could be taken in our hospitals and health services to have an impact on this problem. First, is proper training. This includes training on positive indentifiers of those at risk, knowing the referral process for someone you suspect to be involved in human trafficking, and knowing the reporting guidelines. Next is having an impact on public policy. Many hospitals can push for policy changes, and they should always be advocating for positive change at the local, state and federal levels. Another slightly more obscure measure that can be taken is through contracting with outside organizations. All contracts should state that there is no child labor or trafficking involved. Most companies will probably not have a problem with this, but can lead to an increased awareness among different companies. Hospitals are also great resources for community initiatives, and should provide community education, develop partnerships, and push for government involvement. Hospitals can also invest responsibly. This can change corporate policies, and they can also focus on travel and hospitality settings, as these are the most common areas of human trafficking. Lastly, providing proper education through web based resources, printed resources, and clinical education will improve providers knowledge on the topic.
Human trafficking is a crime that has been committed across the globe for far too long. Our healthcare systems, as well as many other agencies need to take positive action in eliminating this problem from modern society,
This is a very interesting proposal. Human trafficking is such a large problem, yet it seems like there’s nothing most people can do to help. Learning that a majority of those being trafficked were seen in healthcare settings and it goes unreported is astounding. There should definitely be training for identifying trafficking. In these healthcare settings, I wonder if it’s possible to model the training and reporting on child abuse policies. All healthcare workers are required to report any possible incidences of child abuse. After training is provided, would requiring reports of any possible incidence of human trafficking help the issue, or would traffickers just stop the use of healthcare facilities?