Core Competencies for Human Trafficking Response in Health Care and Behavioral Health Systems

Click below to hear from our CEO about how HEAL Trafficking is setting the standard for a human trafficking response in the health arena.


The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP) has released the “Core Competencies for Human Trafficking Response in Health Care and Behavioral Health Systems.” These core competencies pinpoint skill sets that health care and behavioral health practitioners (HCPs) should acquire to identify, respond to, and serve individuals who have experienced trafficking and individuals at risk of trafficking.

These core competencies were developed in a partnership with HEAL Trafficking, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), and the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP), and the project was funded by the Office of Trafficking In Persons (OTIP). The National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center facilitated a 3-year process to develop the competencies.

To learn more about the Core Competencies report, please view this Thomson Reuters Op-Ed by Dr. Stoklosa and the other authors of the report, linked below:

Health workers can play a key role in helping trafficking victims

Site designed and developed by Social Ink [+]