314916 Sex Trafficking: Minors

Course overview

According to the Ark of Hope for Children, 4.5 million people who are used for human trafficking are sexually exploited, and up to 300,000 individuals in the U.S. under the age of 18 are brought into the commercial sex trade annually. According to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, there have been 14,588 reports of sex trafficking cases within the U.S., with an estimated $290 million underground sex economy in Atlanta, Georgia, alone. Sex trafficking is a significant and growing issue in the U.S. as well as globally, bearing a large cost to society, including poor public health, disruption within communities, and decreased social development. Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST) has dire consequences on victims, including long-term health problems and disease, psychological trauma, as well as corrosive social implications. By educating nurses and practitioners regarding sex trafficking, including the incidence, signs, and assessment approaches when dealing with suspected DMST victims, better patient outcomes can be achieved by identifying these cases and referring victims to the appropriate resources.