Human Trafficking

Course overview

Human trafficking is considered a form of modern slavery, and it is global in its reach and impact. Trafficking in persons affects all genders, ages, and ethnicities. Human trafficking is not found only within illegal businesses. Human trafficking can be found in a wide variety of otherwise legal businesses, industries, and services, including many economic sectors in the United States. They include agriculture, food service, sales, domestic services, construction and landscaping, commercial sex, and marriage. Human trafficking adversely affects a victim's mental and physical stability, security, and well-being. It adversely affects entire communities, commerce, countries, and geographical regions. This means that health care professionals, including pharmacy staff, are uniquely situated to identify and assist trafficked individuals and to report trafficking to the proper authorities. Health care professionals need to know when and how to report human trafficking and the resources that are available to support victims who have been trafficked.