43821 Human Trafficking

Course overview

Discussion of human trafficking with a focus on sex trafficking, including what defines sex trafficking, signs of trafficking victims; local, state, and national resources for victims to access, understanding trafficking situations in medical settings, and possible responses to trafficking situations to promote safety and well-being. Every year, millions of men, women, and children, both in the United States and worldwide, are victims of human trafficking, which is a serious crime, public health issue, and violation of human rights. Traffickers often target at-risk populations, luring individuals with false promises of well-paying jobs but instead forcing or coercing them into prostitution, domestic servitude, farm or factory labor, or other types of forced labor. Sexual exploitation is, by far, the most commonly identified form of human trafficking. In 2019, there were approximately 14,500 sex trafficking victims and survivors identified by the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline, and 8,248 sex trafficking situations were identified. While everyone can play a role in combating human trafficking, healthcare providers are often in a unique and optimal position to help identify trafficking victims when they are receiving care within healthcare systems. However, many nurses and other healthcare providers have not been trained to recognize the red flags and general indicators of human trafficking, causing these victims to go unnoticed. This program is an introduction to human sex trafficking for healthcare providers, discussing prevalence, misconceptions, barriers to help, vulnerabilities and predisposing factors, indicators and red flags, interacting with victims, trafficker identification and handling, and resources available for trafficking situations.