Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
Volume 206, Issue 10, 2018, Pages 824-827

Tattoo Recognition in Screening for Victims of Human Trafficking (Article)

Fang S. , Coverdale J. , Nguyen P. , Gordon M.
  • a School of Medicine, United States
  • b Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
  • c Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
  • d Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States

Abstract

There is little information on the secondary prevention of human trafficking and how medical professionals can screen for victims. There is a paucity of validated screening tools for use in clinical settings to identify adult trafficked patients, although one for use in pediatric populations exists. Many victims withhold information about their trafficked status. Because traffickers may mark victims, identification of tattoos provides a useful method for screening patients, which complements history taking, especially when victims are unable to disclose that information. We searched existing medical literature, PsycINFO, PubMed, Google, and JSTOR using keywords "human," "trafficking," and "tattoos." Because there is scant literature on this topic, we also searched the gray literature that enabled preliminary identification of several themes used in trafficking tattoos. We also discussed tattoo placement and quality. Tattoo recognition is a critical factor in identifying victims and setting them on a pathway to freedom and recovery. © Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

Author Keywords

Screening tattoos signs of victimization Human trafficking Sex workers

Index Keywords

mass screening health care personnel human screening test Medline procedures Humans secondary prevention PsycINFO prevalence prevention and control sexual abuse human trafficking Article Medical History Taking anamnesis Tattooing tattoo patient autonomy
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85054103854&doi=10.1097%2fNMD.0000000000000881&partnerID=40&md5=c4fdf4355140ade70b5a4c90e6e165bb
DOI: 10.1097/NMD.0000000000000881
ISSN: 00223018
Cited by: 3
Original Language: English