If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 (TTY 711) or text 233733. Learn more: https://humantraffickinghotline.org/.
Trafficking affects every region of the world, including the United States (United Nations, 2019). In 2020, there were over 10,500 tips of human trafficking reported to the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline, nearly 2,500 of which involved children and youth.
A survey from the Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking found that over half of labor and sex trafficking survivors had accessed health care at least once while being trafficked, and nearly 97% of that group indicated they had received no information about human trafficking during those encounters (CAST 2017). These and other studies indicate that health care professionals are too often unprepared to identify and assist trafficked persons.
The Human Trafficking Response Program helps ensure that providers and staff are educated and equipped to identify and appropriately assist patients who may be affected by human trafficking or other types of violence. This includes implementing and evaluating policies, procedures, educational modules, and other resources that promote healing and recovery..