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Sex Trafficked and Missed

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Human Trafficking Is a Public Health Issue

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.

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Notes

  1. 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. 2.

    In the subculture of prostitution, a “track” is an area known for street prostitution.

  3. 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. 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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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dignity Health, 185 Berry St. #300, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Wendy J. Barnes & Holly Austin Gibbs

Authors
  1. Wendy J. Barnes
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  2. Holly Austin Gibbs
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Holly Austin Gibbs .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Emergency Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA

    Makini Chisolm-Straker

  2. Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Hanni Stoklosa

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© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

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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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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47824-1_2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-47823-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-47824-1

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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