2016 Hotline Statistics | Polaris

"Our new statistics report provides 2016 data from the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline, Polaris's BeFree Textline, and communications referencing overseas cases. Through these hotlines, Polaris has the largest available data set on human trafficking in the United States."

"Key highlights and trends from the report include: ..."

2016 Hotline Statistics | Polaris:

Truckers join a drive on US highways to tackle sex trafficking - CSMonitor.com

Truckers join a drive on US highways to tackle sex trafficking - CSMonitor.com:

Trauma-Informed Human Trafficking Screenings | National Human Trafficking Resource Center

Trauma-Informed Human Trafficking Screenings | National Human Trafficking Resource Center:

Home-grown human trafficking: Nurses on the frontlines help in identifying victims | South Nursing News

http://news.nurse.com/article/20120813/SC01/108130062

Source: South Nursing News

By Heather Stringer

Monday August 13, 2012

Ellen LoCascio, RN, BSN, CEN, knew something was amiss when a female patient said she was 24 years old and the middle-aged man accompanying her was her spouse. The girl looked about 15, and the pair lacked any signs of intimacy typical for married couples. The girl had come to an ED at a hospital in Southwest Florida four years ago because she was suffering from abdominal pain, but strangely, she was cheerful and chatty — as if she were playing a role, according to LoCascio. Then the couple disappeared before LoCascio could return to the room with the discharge papers.

In hindsight, LoCascio suspects the girl may have been a victim of human trafficking. At the time, it seemed hard to imagine this type of abuse was a problem in the U.S. But a second similar incident motivated LoCascio to start asking nurse and law enforcement experts about the issue.

Rita Hall, RN

According to the United Nations, human trafficking involves an act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring or receiving a person through the use of force, coercion or other means for the purpose of exploiting them. Data from a 2011 report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics suggests this modern-day form of slavery is thriving in the U.S. According to the report, federally funded task forces opened cases investigating more than 2,500 suspected incidents of human trafficking between January 2008 and June 2010, and about 82% of these incidents were classified as sex trafficking. Florida and Texas are among the top four states in the nation with the highest number of reports regarding potential cases of human trafficking, according to 2011 data from the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, based on the number of calls to its hotline.

Although it may seem difficult to help victims who often are hidden from the public eye, these people may surface when they seek medical treatment. "The most important thing is be aware that human trafficking exists," said Lisa Creamer, RN, BSN, assistant director of Child Abuse Pediatrics at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Texas. "If you don’t recognize that it exists, you won’t recognize it when you see the signs. As nurses, we can ask questions and watch for behaviors that give us clues that someone is being forced to do something they don’t want to do."

Though a victim of human trafficking may come to the ED for a variety of reasons, some of the most common are for treatment of sexually transmitted diseases or infectious diseases, said Patricia Crane, RN, MSN, PhD, WHNP-BC, an assistant professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch School of Nursing in Galveston. Crane educates healthcare providers nationally and internationally about how to identify and help victims of human trafficking. Infectious diseases are common because many of the victims are trapped in unsanitary, crowded living conditions, she said.

"Some of the signs to watch for are people who cannot answer the questions you ask, have no driver’s license or wallet and cannot be separated from the person with them," Crane said. "It’s also a red flag if you keep asking the patient questions but the person with them answers."

Ellen LoCascio, RN

LoCascio, an ICU and ED nurse in the Lee Memorial Health System in Florida, believes it is critical for nurses to use their assessment skills to discern whether the story matches reality. "The Tanner Staging method can help nurses determine whether a patient’s stated age is consistent with observed physical findings," she said. "Be observant about the dynamics between the patient and caregiver. Watch for a lack of concern for the patient that one would not expect from a family or support person."

When nurses suspect they might be treating a victim of human trafficking, one of the first barriers to overcome is separating the patient from the trafficker in the room, said Rita Hall, RN, MSN, SANE-A, SANE-P, ARNP, a clinical supervisor at the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay. "I might walk her to the bathroom alone, and that could give me a few seconds to ask her if she feels safe with the person who brought her or if anyone is forcing her to do things she doesn’t want to do," Hall said.

It also is important for nurses to notify the physician and social worker, LoCascio said. "Notify the provider about your suspicions because the doctor may have advanced skills to ascertain more information, and sometimes your suspicion alone might trigger another caregiver to go through a chart and find other clues."

While some victims may want help from medical caregivers, there also are many cases in which the victims do not want to change their situation, said Crane. She remembers a young woman in Texas who suffered from vaginal bleeding and infection because of long hours of sex work every day. She received free surgery for vaginal and anal tissue damage, and the staff at the hospital offered to help her escape her situation, but she would not reveal who the trafficker was. Within three weeks she returned to the trafficker, Crane said.

"For nurses, it is important to understand that it is not about us controlling the situation, but about helping people see that there is a way to get out when they are ready," Crane said. "These people are captives and feel controlled, so it is a slow process of building trust, and it may not happen in one visit. Let them know that they can come back."

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Heather Stringer is a freelance writer. Post a comment below or email editorSouth@nurse.com.Heather Stringer

Q&A with Alden Pinkham on Summer Labor Trafficking

Q&A with Alden Pinkham on Summer Labor Trafficking:
During the summer months, door-to-door sales crews, carnivals, and rural agriculture hire large numbers of workers. By nature, these jobs are temporary and relocate often. The lack of permanency and lack of formality associated with seasonal jobs heightens the potential for dangerous labor trafficking situations. In order to learn more about labor trafficking during the summer months, I interviewed Alden Pinkham, Program Specialist and Trainer at Polaris Project.
Q. What is Labor Trafficking?
A. Labor trafficking can roughly be defined as any instance when a trafficker has used violence, threats, lies, debt bondage or other forms of coercion to force people to work against their will. In many cases, victims generally are looking for an opportunity to work hard, earn money for their families, and be good employees. However, labor trafficking victims are severely exploited for their labor, sometimes forced to live in inhumane conditions, and paid little, if at all.
Q. What are some signs that a door-to-door “solicitor” or member of a sales crew is actually a victim of labor trafficking?
A. First off, people should be aware that solicitors are often trained on how to speak to potential customers in such a way that their work appears legitimate. In order to recognize signs that a “solicitor” is actually a victim of labor trafficking, we must dig deeper than the obvious. Some signs would include indicators that the salesperson is under the age of 18, malnourished, has been working unreasonably long hours, or will suffer from any type of ramification if they either complain or do not meet a certain sales quota for the workday.
Because there exists a normalization of abuse in sales crews, it can be hard to detect instances of labor trafficking. To most sales crew employees, it seems normal to wake up, go to a regularly scheduled unpaid staff meeting, be given $5 a day for food, go out and sell magazine hours for 12-14 hours a day, and then receive points which represent commission money, which is held in an inaccessible account. A good workday is when you meet a quota, and a bad workday is when you don’t meet your quota, or lose subscriptions and receive a negative point balance. Victims of labor trafficking are misled to believe that their earnings are being saved in a bank account, which in reality, they will never gain access to.
Q. Around how many calls has Polaris Project received in relation to instances of labor trafficking?
A. Of the calls received by the National Human Trafficking Hotline where exploitation has been reported, 19% have reported labor trafficking, and an additional 30% are reports of labor exploitation. This statistic strongly indicates that labor trafficking is occurring, and all labor exploitation calls are categorized as high risk. Another 2% of the calls received by the National Human Trafficking Hotline regarded instances of both labor and sex trafficking together. Sometimes, labor trafficking victims are also forced to participate in nonconsensual acts of sex such as prostitution. The news media, and television and film industries have recently shone a spotlight on sex trafficking and a wider audience is aware of and understandably horrified by its abuses. Labor trafficking has not been exhibited to the public on as large of a scale, and thus fewer people are aware of it, despite its frequency.
Q. Can you comment on instances of human trafficking that occur at carnivals, or at large-scale traveling events?
A. The hotline has received reports of human trafficking from seasonal industries such as summer camps, agriculture in rural locations, and carnivals, which relocate frequently. In these scenarios, victims become dependent on their employer for most basic daily needs, including food, shelter, and transportation.
Q. What are the legal ramifications for labor trafficking?
A. Labor trafficking is a criminal offense under Trafficking Victims Protection Act. Cases of labor trafficking are often very complex, and can be difficult to punish through prosecution.
Q. What is the most effective way of identifying a labor trafficking victim and helping him or her locate assistance?
A. Be on the lookout for red flags such as a worker holding a debt, continuing to work at a job that they would rather leave, fearing consequences, physical or sexual abuse or threats, or owing a debt that they are required to pay off for working a specific job. If you encounter someone that exhibits one or more of these red flags, the best solution would be to provide them with the National Human Trafficking Hotline number and urge them to call it. It is best for the victim to call the hotline directly so that we can talk to them about the specific situation, and help to connect them with all available resources such as legal aid, shelter, and law enforcement. If the potential victim needs help but is unable to call, or fears calling, community members can call the hotline and report the situation.
It is important to be on the lookout for labor trafficking victims in situations of seasonal summer work, especially sales crews. Sales crews differ from other seasonal workers because they are visible to the public, usually outdoors, as opposed to domestic workers who work inside the private confines of homes. We have observed that sales crews don’t typically learn about the National Human Trafficking Hotline until they have been abandoned. It is crucial to share the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline number (1-888-373-7888) far and wide, so that labor trafficking victims know that there is a number they can call for help.