Chapter 3: Human Trafficking for Florida Healthcare Professionals (Mandatory) 2 CE Hours
By: Michelle Lyman, MD, MPH Course overview
Healthcare professionals in the state of Florida are required to complete continuing education specific to addressing human trafficking, a widespread and pervasive issue which those in the healthcare sphere are uniquely poised to Learning objectives After completing this course, the learner will be able to: Describe the incidence, scope, and types of human trafficking in Florida. List risk factors and warning signs for those who may become or who are victims of human trafficking. Human trafficking happens globally and affects all genders, ages, sexual orientations, ethnicities, and races. Though human trafficking has existed for millennia, the legal definitions have only emerged during the twenty first century. The most widely accepted definition is one proposed by the 2000 General Assembly of the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, similar to those put forth by subsequent revisions of the policy. Trafficking occurs when an individual is recruited, transported, transferred, harbored, and/or received by force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of exploitation by a trafficker. The exploitation may take various forms, such as sex trafficking or labor trafficking. Ultimately, three distinct elements validate a case of trafficking: the act, the means, and the purpose (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime [UNODC], 2020) The definition put forth by the United Nations is explicit that consent is irrelevant, and that anyone under 18 years of age
identify and report. While human trafficking occurs globally, this content addresses trafficking in the state of Florida, with guidance to resources and agencies within Florida that professionals can access. Discuss intervention strategies to approach trafficking victims and determine treatment. Identify reporting agencies and community resources for Florida human trafficking victims.
INTRODUCTION
is considered a child (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime [UNODC], 2018). Providing effective aid to individuals who have been trafficked requires that healthcare providers recognize and understand the many types of trafficking that occur: sex trafficking, labor trafficking, debt bondage, and organ trafficking (UNODC, 2018; U.S. Department of State, 2015). Regardless of the type of human trafficking, whether it be for the purpose of sex, labor, or organ trafficking, there are three distinct elements within each case: the act, the means, and the purpose (UNODC, 2020). Healthcare professionals can use the elements of human trafficking as outlined by the United Nations– the means, the purpose, and the act – to recognize human trafficking (UNODC, 2018) (Table 1). This knowledge will enable healthcare professionals to identify scenarios in which screening for trafficking is appropriate and gives them a better understanding of what trafficked persons may have experienced.
Table 1
TRAFFICKING =
Act
Means
Purpose
+
+
• Recruit. • Transport. • Transfer.
• Threats or force. • Coercion. • Abduction. • Fraud. • Deception. • Abuse of vulnerability. • Bonded labor. Note: This element does not need to occur for someone under the age of 18 to be considered trafficked.
Exploitation including but not limited to: • Prostitution of others. • Sexual exploitation. • Forced labor. • Slavery. • Organ removal.
• Harbor. • Obtain.
The Act The act refers to the traffickers’ actions. These actions, which may include recruiting, transporting, transferring, and harboring, are common among traffickers who seek to profit from the lives of others. However, not all of the examples of acts listed must take place for the act to be defined as
human trafficking. For example, trafficking does not always entail transport. Recall that trafficking is defined as the use of force, fraud, or coercion; thus, there are a number of types of acts that meet the definition of trafficking (UNODC, 2020). A complex dynamic exists between traffickers and
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Book Code: MFL1227
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