Abstract
A survivor case study demonstrates how health care professionals miss opportunities to identify and respond to persons who may be trafficked. This oversight occurs because medical professionals and health care systems often lack the education and tools needed for an appropriate and effective response. All staff in a health care system should receive basic education on sex and labor trafficking, including legal definitions, descriptions of vulnerable populations, red flags in the health care setting, and survivor stories to facilitate understanding of trafficked persons’ perspectives and vulnerabilities. Extended education should address trauma-informed care as well as potential ways to engage patients and internal protocols. Curriculum modules developed at Dignity Health, one of the nation’s largest health systems, serve as examples of education for medical staff.
Keywords
Notes
- 1.
TVPA defines a commercial sex act as “any sex act on account of which something of value is given to or received by any person.” This can include money, drugs, or survival needs like food and shelter.
- 2.
In the subculture of prostitution, a “track” is an area known for street prostitution.
- 3.
Wendy refers to the other victims under Greg’s control as “girls” without regard to age. In Wendy ’s case, Greg trafficked both underage girls and adult women. Note that trafficked persons can be of any age or gender.
- 4.
A “trick baby ” is a term often used in the subculture of prostitution to describe a baby fathered by a sex buyer, otherwise known as a “john” or “trick.”
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Barnes, W.J., Gibbs, H.A. (2017). Sex Trafficked and Missed. In: Chisolm-Straker, M., Stoklosa, H. (eds) Human Trafficking Is a Public Health Issue. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47824-1_2
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