January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Defined by the United Nations, human trafficking is “the recruitment, transport, transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.”
In order to combat human trafficking, the 3 P’s of human trafficking has been implemented around the world. As healthcare professionals, you are in a unique position to be able to identify and prevent human trafficking. To learn more about what you can do, attend one of our Human Trafficking Prevention for Healthcare Personnel classes taught by Damon Jackson. The class is worth 1.5 CEs and will teach you how to recognize instances of human trafficking and what you should do. For our Texas residents, this course will satisfy the requirements set by the TMB and can be taken by any healthcare professional.
The 3 P’s of Human Trafficking
The 3 P’s used commonly around the world are prosecution, protection, and prevention. As healthcare personnel, using these 3 P’s will help you combat this crime that still affects 40.3 million people around the world.
Prevention
The first P is prevention. Awareness is one of the most important tools used to prevent human trafficking. Facilities providing classes and training on how to recognize human trafficking and how to respond allow their staff the proper knowledge to help prevent it.
If you can recognize the signs of human trafficking, such as bruises, malnutrition, scripted speech, and others, you can help prevent further human trafficking victims and protect them. By spreading information and raising awareness, you increase the chances of their survival.
Protection
To protect victims of human trafficking, you must be able to identify who victims are. As healthcare professionals, you are able to see signs of human trafficking and alert proper authorities about it. By doing so, you can help victims receive services and support to rebuild their lives away from the traffickers.
There are a variety of resources at your disposal that you can use if you suspect someone is a victim of trafficking. First and foremost, create a safe space away from the trafficker to make the suspected victim feel at ease disclosing any information to you. Then you can help the victim safely by contacting either local enforcement, the National Human Trafficking Resource Center’s hotline, or an attorney.
Prosecution
While healthcare professionals aren’t heavily involved in the prosecution stage, information government officials and bringing the crime to light is something you can do once you have determined a person is a victim. There are a variety of organizations you can contact, and Damon Jackson will discuss all your available resources in his webinar.
Stopping Human Trafficking
Human trafficking is a crime that should not exist in the 21st century. As healthcare professionals, you can help eliminate the crime. Raise awareness to possible signs of human trafficking and make sure everyone at your facility is aware of resources you can use to help victims. If your facility doesn’t have any policies and procedures in place, speak with someone. If you want to learn more about how you can help as a healthcare personnel, attend our Human Trafficking Prevention for Healthcare Personnel course!
