Goals and objectives

1. To understand what trafficking in human beings entails, the scope of the problem and how victims are trafficked

2. To learn how to screen a potentially trafficked patient and interview a trafficked patient

3. To learn how to appropriately medically manage and refer a trafficked patient

Human trafficking

A 13-year-old Guatemalan native presents to an emergency department, pregnant and in premature labor. Her medical issues are managed routinely but what the emergency attending and staff do not recognize is that this patient is a victim of human trafficking. As a result, she is not rescued until several months later. This girl was sold by her parents for sex and domestic servitude. One of her brutal beatings by her trafficker stimulated her premature labor. This is the true story of one of thousands of trafficking victims living in the United States.

Trafficking in human beings is a form of modern slavery, which expressly forces, defrauds, or coerces people for the purpose of forced labor or commercial sexual exploitation. There is no nation immune to the threat of having residents trafficked or harboring trafficked workers. Human trafficking is the world's fastest growing criminal enterprise, with profits rivaling that of the drugs and arms trades. Because of the lucrative nature of human trafficking and low risk to the traffickers, the problem continues despite the growing awareness of this issue.

While true numbers are obscured by the clandestine and illegal nature of trafficking, commonly cited sources include the following:

• The ILO (International Labour Organization) estimates that 12.3 million people are enslaved in forced labor of which at least 2.4 million are victims of trafficking operations.

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