HHS Provides Resources to Raise Awareness in Identifying Human Trafficking Victims, Especially during Disasters

​Given that about 50% of human trafficking victims are seen by a health professional while in captivity, healthcare workers, particularly physicians, should be trained to recognize these individuals when they are patients and to know how to intervene. The Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office for the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response has released materials to help healthcare providers when they suspect that a patient may be a victim of human trafficking. Healthcare providers are a "crucial partner" in combatting human trafficking; this is especially true during disasters when individuals are vulnerable to human trafficking because children and parents may be separated and systems typically in place to protect people are disrupted, HHS says.