HEAL – HEAT Project
Studies from across the US reveal that victims of human trafficking access health care services during their exploitation, creating valuable opportunities for education, empowerment, and intervention with this vulnerable population. The experience of labor or sex trafficking commonly results in physical and/or psychological harm, and victims are known to present to emergency departments, urgent care clinics, reproductive health clinics, labor and delivery units, community clinics and FQHCs, dentists, pediatricians, public health centers, school-based health centers, private doctors’ offices, and other settings. However, trafficking victims slip through these doors every day, undetected and unassisted, because health systems and personnel are not prepared to recognize and appropriately respond to this population. This lack of awareness and preparation ultimately prevents trafficked people from getting the help and care they need.
With hopes to address this critical gap in health care systems, HEAL Trafficking, in partnership with Hope for Justice, created the Protocol Toolkit for Developing a Response to Victims of Human Trafficking in Health Care Settings. This Toolkit guides…
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