January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Fact: victims of human trafficking are seen in our hospitals and other sites of care every day.
Your caregivers are on the front lines of this crisis. Studies show with certainty that survivors of trafficking are likely to have contact with the health care system during their abuse. One study found 88% of trafficked women and adolescents saw a physician during their exploitation. Sadly, none were identified as victims of human trafficking by the providers they encountered.
We hope to change this pattern by giving our caregivers the tools they need.
The guidelines, released today, focus on caring for survivors in a trauma-informed manner, following the SIRV framework—Serve, Identify, Respond and eValuate. They offer a step-by-step guide to equip your people to meet the needs of survivors, deliver care, and to support and empower these patients.
Aligned with the
Joint Commission’s directive that all hospital staff know how to identify victims of human trafficking, the guidelines explain when to involve law enforcement and what resources are available.
It’s a matter of when—not if—you’ll encounter a victim of human trafficking.
Together, we can help to lessen the terrible impact in Maryland. And perhaps, in time, we can help eliminate human trafficking altogether.