American Academy of Nursing on Policy, Council for the Advancement of Nursing SciencesPolicy brief on the nursing response to human trafficking
Section snippets
Executive Summary
Human trafficking is a public health emergency affecting an estimated 12 to 30 million people globally. Given that 85% of trafficked victims have contact with health care providers in any year, nurses are critical to: the identification of trafficked persons; effective promotion of their physical, mental, and cognitive health; development and implementation of practice guidelines; implementation of research to inform bestpractices globally; and championing public policy initiatives at local,
Background
Human trafficking is a public health emergency (Krug etal., 2002, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 2015) affecting an estimated 12 to 30 million people globally and is part of a $32 billion illicit business enterprise (Meinert, 2012, U.S. Department of State 2014). The United Nations defines human trafficking as “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of
National Legislative Action
Examples of national legislative initiatives include the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act[s] (2013) (Polaris, 2017), which involved passage of an amendment in 2013 to the Violence Against Women Act (1994) regarding susceptible people at risk for human trafficking in disasters and emergencies, and prevention of child marriage. This legislation also created structure in the National Defense Authorization Act (2013) to prevent the use of business contracts when engaging in human
The Academy's Position
The American Academy of Nursing (Academy) supports the promotion of health and safety in persons affected by human trafficking through closure of gaps in macro and micro systems of nursing education, reflective ethics, practice improvement, systems leadership, and ongoing research related to improvement of cognitive, physical, mental, social and spiritual health outcomes.
The Academy advocates for the inclusion of Forensic Nurse experts with advanced nursing practice preparation for leadership
Recommendations
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Promote:
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The inclusion of advanced forensic nurses with expertise in human trafficking as members of private business boards; commercial bank boards; not-for-profit service organizations; and, government and other organization task forces, advisory boards, and technical working groups, specifically to influence health care policy, advocacy activities, and legislation related to human trafficking and to promote justice for victims of human trafficking.
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Faculty-led scholarship indexed in the Sigma
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Acknowledgments
The authors express appreciation for guidance and assistance provided by Inge Corless, PhD, RN, FAAN and Catherine Catrambone, PhD, RN, FAAN, Co-Chairs; Azita Emami, PhD, MSN, RNT, RN, FAAN, Co-Chair; Paula Milone-Nuzzo, PhD, RN, FHHC, FAAN, Board Liaison to the Global Health Expert Panel and Matthew J. Williams, JD, MA, Policy Manager and Academy Staff Liaison to the Global Health Expert Panel; and Previous Chairs: DeAnne Messias (2016–2017), Kathleen Capitulo (2015–2016), Lynn Callister
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2022, Nursing for Women's HealthCitation Excerpt :Minors engaged are often victims of human trafficking in the commercial sex industry, and traffickers exploit those who are vulnerable (Greenbaum, 2020). This is accomplished by making physical threats against the trafficked individual and their family, posing as a loved one to gain trust, and taking passports and other essential documentation from victims (National Human Trafficking Resource Center, n.d.; Speck et al., 2018). As a result, victims often experience fear, self-blame, and shame that prevent them from seeking help (ACOG, 2019).
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2022, JOGNN - Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal NursingCitation Excerpt :Indicators for human trafficking can vary. It is important for the nurse to be aware of these warning signs, which may include the following (Mullaly, 2017; Speck et al., 2018): Unclear past history and no stable address
Overview of Recognition and Prevention of Child Sex Trafficking in the Primary Care Setting: A Primer for Nurse Practitioners
2022, Journal for Nurse PractitionersCitation Excerpt :One of the objectives of the TVPA is to prosecute both the traffickers and buyers of sex.14 However, since the enactment of the TVPA, a gradual change has occurred in which the issue of HT, including CST, is increasingly viewed as a public health crisis, versus a criminal justice issue, particularly for children.15,16 Researchers have found that there is no single pathway to CST but rather a combination of factors that increase a child’s risk for sexual exploitation and trafficking.
White Paper: Recognizing Child Trafficking as a Critical Emerging Health Threat
2021, Journal of Pediatric Health Care