There Are Many Ways To Get Involved!

Throughout the past few weeks we have discussed statistics of human trafficking as well as how the healthcare provider can intervene. 

For this post, I would like to bring it a little closer to home. 

The following clip is an interview with David Batstone, author of "Not for Sale." Not For Sale helps to equip and mobilize activists to come up with innovative solutions to re-abolish slavery in their own backyards and across the globe!

This is a very eye-opening video that discusses human slavery right here in our own backyards. Mr. Batstone's first hand encounters with human trafficking spurred his desire to see human trafficking eradicated. 

Not For Sale is starting a movement with the community at it's core. By getting the community to take action in the war on trafficking, a network to eradicate human trafficking can be formed. Law enforcement, social workers, and healthcare providers are not enough, we need YOU to help! The good news is YOU CAN HELP!

If you suspect a case of human trafficking, you can utilize these resources to make a difference!

Call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center: 1-888-3737-888

Call state law enforcement offices and the FBI to report suspected trafficking cases: 205-326-6166

Call The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: 1-800-The-Lost

For Spanish speaking victims call the Spanish hotline for case management and referrals: 205-942-5505

There are many ways to get involved in putting an end to trafficking right here in Birmingham.

You can easily get involved with Freedom to Thrive (FTT), my community partner! FTT is an anti-trafficking coalition here in Birmingham, AL, whose mission is to eradicate human trafficking within the Greater Birmingham area. 

     Learn: You can join FTT's mailing list: FreedomtoThrive.org

Check out our online resources and blog!

Engage: Educate others on the indicators and issues in AL

                                             Host a documentary screening

                                             Invite an FTT speaker to your church, school, organization, 

                                                       or civic group

                           Volunteer: Use your time and talents to mobilize your community to 

                                                      raise awareness

Additionally, there is a half-way house in Birmingham for women that have escaped from trafficking. 

It is called The WellHouse, Inc (TWI). TWI is a faith-based, nonprofit agency providing Emergency Shelter to women who have been sexually exploited, including women who have been trafficked. TWI offers immediate shelter, food, clothing, spiritual guidance and other necessary items to support exploited women.  

http://www2.alabamas13.com/news/2011/mar/04/human-trafficking-bust-shows-need-wellhouse-ar-1539145/

There is no shortage of ways for you to get involved. Please start to become involved in eradicating human trafficking, one person at a time.

Calling all Health Professionals!

Health Professionals: this blog update is for you!

Health care professionals have one of the biggest opportunities to identify and help victims of human trafficking. Often, victims are only allowed out of the house when they are doing their assigned jobs, or when they are so sick they can no longer perform for the trafficker. Thus, the trafficker has no choice but to bring the victim to a hospital or clinic. It is at this point that the health professional can intervene and make a difference. But, how? 

Below is a human trafficking protocol developed at an ER in Dallas, TX. All health care providers can use this screening tool to help educate themselves on how to assess victims of human trafficking. This is a great starting point for the health care provider!

The deeper the health care provider delves into the subject of human trafficking, the more the ramifications of trafficking on the health of all US citizens become apparent.

This could not have been more true for me as I did research on the subject of HIV and human trafficking this past week. Although there are few scholarly articles on the subject at this point, the seriousness of the link between the two is undeniable. Victims of human trafficking have an increased vulnerability to contracting HIV due to the activities they are forced to engage in.

Activities that are risk factors for contracting HIV are:

Drug Use 

The trafficker will use drugs as a way to maintain control over his victim. He will actually force his victim to take drugs, thus eventually making the victim addicted to the drugs. Once the victim is addicted, she/he is forced to be dependent on the trafficker for access to the drugs. The victim has an increased risk for contracting HIV because the trafficker may use dirty needles to inject the drug into the victim (and these needles may be shared by other trafficking victims).   

Lack of Contraceptive Use

It is the trafficker and/or the buyer that determines what kind of contraceptives to use, if any at all. Because the buyer will typically pay more for unprotected sex, the trafficker is likely to force the victim to not use any kind of protection. Because the victim is forced to engage in sexual activity multiple times daily, the risk for contracting HIV is even greater.

Young Age at Onset of Trafficking

The average age of entry into prostitution is 12-14 years of age. The young age of the victim being trafficked gives a false sense of security to the buyer. The buyer perceives the victim as being "safe" (not having any STDs or HIV), and thus sees no need to wear a condom or use protection. If the trafficking victim has HIV, the buyer will contract it and possibly spread it to countless others outside of the trafficking ring. Because human trafficking is the fastest growing crime in the world today, the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) believes that something must be done in order to halt the alarming rate of HIV transmission.

It is becoming alarmingly clear that health care providers cannot sit back and feign ignorance on the subject of human trafficking. If human trafficking continues to grow as it has been, no one is safe from the ramifications this will have. HIV is just one of the many growing concerns as a result of this horrific crime. If we as health care providers do not intervene, who will?

Trafficking here in Sweet Home Alabama

Human trafficking is a business where people become the commodities that are traded and sold. It is a horrible reality to numerous men,women and children within the United States and around the world.

Over half of the victims of human trafficking are children.

This excerpt from "sold," an anti-human trafficking documentary, sheds some light on human trafficking and some issues associated with it.

Ok, so now we see trafficking is happening, but here in "sweet home Alabama?" Unfortuntately, the answer is yes. The following is an article about a 12 year old victim of human trafficking recently discovered right here in Homewood, AL. Although he was discovered, countless others are still enslaved.

http://www.myfoxal.com/story/14368591/another-suspect-arrested-in-homewood-human-trafficking-case?redirected=true

Presenting, Presenting, Presenting!

Anybody can be a victim of human trafficking!

At this point, I am trying to schedule as many presentations as possible on the topic of human trafficking and the healthcare provider. I have been able to do several different presentations already, and am scheduled for my next one on the 20th of July at the 1917 clinic at UAB.

Here's a little more in depth information on my presentation:

Title: The healthcare Provider's Role in Identifying Human Trafficking

Objectives: By the end of the presentation, the healthcare provider should be able to:
                   1. Understand the scope of the problem of Human Trafficking
                   2. Assess and Identify potential victims of human trafficking
                   3. Identify the importance of their specific role in eradicating human trafficking

Expertise: My background in nursing combined with my extensive research of the literature in regards to the phenomenon of human trafficking have helped give me a thorough understanding of the phenomenon of human trafficking as it relates to the health care provider.

For my next presentation, I am researching the role of HIV as it relates to the human trafficking victim. I will keep you posted as to my findings!


Here is a breakdown of human trafficking within the US: