Chapter 1: Recognizing and Responding to Human Trafficking in Texas, 2nd Edition (Mandatory) 1 CE Hour
Course overview This course focuses on an overview of human trafficking; how human trafficking occurs; ways to identify those who may be trafficked, including the health and mental health Learning objectives After completing this course, the learner will be able to: Understand definitions that relate to human trafficking. Describe the types of human trafficking and dynamics of human trafficking in the U.S. Describe identification and assessment strategies that can be utilized when working with potential trafficking victims. Human trafficking is an extreme and heinous violation of human rights that persists around the globe, including throughout the U.S., despite extensive efforts to eradicate this atrocious crime. Human trafficking is a crime involving the exploitation of victims for the purpose of compelled labor or commercial sex acts through the use of force, fraud, or coercion. Force in the context of human trafficking includes physical restraint, physical harm, sexual assault, and/or beatings, and may also include monitoring and confinement to control victims (National Human Trafficking Hotline, 2023). Fraud includes false promises of employment, living conditions, love, marriage, or a better life, and may also include withholding promised wages, or contract fraud (National Human Trafficking Hotline, 2023). Coercion may include threats of harm to self or others, debt bondage, psychological manipulation, or document confiscation, as well as fear-inducing threats to share information or pictures with others or report to authorities (National Human Trafficking Hotline). The most vulnerable victims are typically women and children; however, victims of human trafficking can be any age and any sex. Although multiple organizations publish data and statistics concerning human trafficking, at present there is no consensus on the total number of human trafficking victims in the U.S. Many victims of human trafficking never disclose the nature of their situation, and because of this, it is impossible to estimate the actual Important terms: Victim or Survivor The terms victim and survivor can both be used to refer to individuals who were trafficked. The term victim has legal implications within the criminal justice process and generally refers to an individual who suffered harm because of criminal conduct (Department of Justice [DOJ], 2014). Much of the current body of literature uses this term to denote a patient/individual who is actively being trafficked (Combs & Arnold, 2021). Human trafficking in Texas In 2009, the Texas legislature created the Texas Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force to respond to the growing human trafficking crisis and designated the attorney general as the presiding officer (Texas Attorney General, 2024). The goals of the Task Force are to serve as a collaborative and
impact; response and safety protocols; and victim resources. It meets the one-hour Texas requirement for healthcare professionals.
Discuss the importance of safety planning and protocols. Identify ways to respond and follow up when encountering a potential trafficking victim, including resources for reporting suspected victims of human trafficking.
INTRODUCTION
number of human trafficking victims. Other inherent systemic difficulties—such as lack of coordinated data and inconsistent definitions of key terms—add further challenges to accurately estimating the number of trafficked people regionally as well as globally (Sprang et al., 2022). Because of this, healthcare providers and organizations involved with trafficked persons have been called to “increase their capacity to identify and refer people in trafficking situations and provide sensitive and safe services to people post- trafficking” (World Health Organization [WHO], 2012). Healthcare professionals are uniquely positioned to identify and intervene on behalf of trafficking victims, as outside of law enforcement, healthcare settings are among the few places where the lives of human trafficking victims may intersect with the rest of society, if only for brief periods (Trossman, 2008). Despite numerous multidisciplinary and multiagency efforts to reduce human trafficking in the U.S., this public health crisis persists. In 2021, the National Human Trafficking Hotline (NHTH) received a total of 51,073 substantive signals (phone calls, SMS, webchats, online tip reports, or emails) regarding instances of human trafficking, which resulted in 10,360 confirmed unique cases of human trafficking (NHTH Data Report, 2023). Because of this, healthcare providers across the U.S. must become well- versed in identifying individuals who may be in a trafficking situation and supporting them to safety.
Survivor is a term used by many in the health services field to recognize the strength it takes to continue a journey toward healing in the aftermath of a traumatic experience. This term is also used to refer to a patient/individual who has been rescued and is no longer being trafficked (Combs & Arnold, 2021).
multidisciplinary body that strives to coordinate anti– human trafficking efforts at the local, state, and federal levels (Texas Attorney General, 2024). It serves as a communication hub that brings together coalitions from across the state to
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Book Code: MTX1326
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