Journal of Human Trafficking
Volume 3, Issue 3, 2017, Pages 182-192

Health Care Providers’ Experience with a Protocol for the Identification, Treatment, and Referral of Human-Trafficking Victims (Article)

Stoklosa H. , Showalter E. , Melnick A. , Rothman E.F.*
  • a Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
  • b Department of Community Health Services, Boston University School of Publish Health, Boston, MA, United States
  • c Department of Maternal and Child Health, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
  • d Department of Community Health Services, Boston University School of Publish Health, Boston, MA, United States

Abstract

The health care setting is thought to be one of the most promising places to identify victims of human trafficking. The present study was designed to relay the experiences of a sample of 10 health care providers and hospital administrators who developed and have used a protocol to identify victims of human trafficking since February 2014. To our knowledge, the protocol was one of the first to be adopted by any health care system in the United States. Three primary themes emerged from the participant interviews. First, developing the protocol was challenging because, at the time, there were no predecessor examples. Second, providers reported that the protocol is simple to use and victim identification is easier because of it. Third, identifying and serving victims of human trafficking remains challenging, because there is still a deficit of trained providers and a lack of community resources for survivors. The field needs evidence that this and similar protocols improve users’ knowledge and skills, result in the better identification and treatment of trafficking victims and ultimately improve public safety and public health. © 2016, © 2016 Taylor & Francis.

Author Keywords

violence victims health care protocol Human trafficking Exploitation trauma-informed care

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85066476225&doi=10.1080%2f23322705.2016.1194668&partnerID=40&md5=138c6d06ad91fbc42270db0eeff2360f
DOI: 10.1080/23322705.2016.1194668
ISSN: 23322705
Cited by: 7
Original Language: English