Human Trafficking survivors, working with Safe House Project, national anti-trafficking nonprofit, and the Academy of Forensic Nursing, released a revolutionary healthcare training to equip all healthcare workers to spot trafficking. This partnership and training came as a growing body of research indicated that healthcare workers feel ill-equipped to spot the signs of trafficking and provide victims with resources.
"While 88% of trafficking victims seek some form of healthcare while being trafficked, identification of these victims is still at 1%," said Safe House Project CEO, Kristi Wells. "During the pandemic, we saw a 40% rise in trafficking cases and a unique opportunity to equip healthcare workers on the frontlines to spot and help victims," she said.
The H.O.P.E trafficking training provides healthcare workers a fresh approach to understand the issue of human trafficking through real survivor stories and industry expert analyses. This interactive video-based training uniquely equips healthcare workers to identify potential human trafficking victims, offer resources, and intervene as outlined by state mandates and facilities' policies and procedures.
"With the majority of survivors seeing a healthcare provider during their trafficking situation, healthcare workers are uniquely positioned to identify and provide resources to trafficking victims," said Safe House Project COO, Brittany Dunn, "As a beacon of safety and healing in our communities, healthcare workers are vital partners in combating trafficking."
Survivor leader Sarah Evans, a survivor of child sex trafficking, helped develop the training. "During my time being trafficked, I saw many healthcare workers sense something was wrong. I saw them wrestle with what to do, feeling helpless and unsure how to help. I also saw them look right through me like I didn't exist. This training helps prevent that from happening to other children. Healthcare workers who are equipped to identify trafficking and familiar with how to respond have the opportunity to save lives," said Evans.
The training is available to healthcare networks to train their employees, as well as to be taken individually by healthcare workers. It also provides continuing education credits, an essential part furthering education and saving lives.
"I've spent thirty years in and around ERs providing all types of medical and surgical care, yet I still learned a lot," said Douglas Ayers, MD, after reviewing the training, "It is critical that this trafficking training be made widely available to healthcare workers throughout the United States."
Republished courtesy of Safe House Project. Photo credit: Brittany Dunn/Safe House