Knowledge of Trafficking in Human Beings among Portuguese Social Services and Justice Professionals

The Tragedy and Horror of Human Trafficking of Children and Youth

BackgroundPalliative care for persons experiencing homelessness who reside in social service facilities is often late or lacking. A threefold intervention was implemented to improve palliative care for this population by increasing knowledge and collaboration between social service and palliative care professionals. This consultation service comprised: 1) consultations between social service professionals and palliative care professionals; 2) multidisciplinary meetings involving these professionals; and 3) training of these professionals. This study aims to evaluate the perceived added value of this threefold consultation service in three regions in the Netherlands.MethodsA mixed-methods evaluation study using structured questionnaires for consultants, requesting consultants, and attendees of multidisciplinary meetings, semi-structured group and individual interviews with social service and palliative care professionals involved, weekly diaries filled out by consultants, and an implementation diary. Qualitative data were analyzed following the principles of thematic analysis. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively.ResultsThirty-four consultations, 22 multidisciplinary meetings and 9 training sessions were studied during the implementation period of 21 months. Social service professionals made up the majority of all professionals reached by the intervention. In all regions the intervention was perceived to have added value for collaboration and networks of social service and palliative care professionals (connecting disciplines reciprocally and strengthening collaborations), the competences of especially social service professionals involved (competency in palliative care provision, feeling emotionally supported in complex situations), and the quality and timing of palliative care (more focus on quality of life and dying, advance care planning and looking ahead, and greater awareness of death and palliative care).ConclusionsThe threefold consultation service particularly helps social service professionals connect with palliative care professionals. It helps them to identify palliative care needs in good time and to provide qualitatively better palliative care to persons experiencing homelessness.

Background Assistive technologies (ATs) that use functions based on artificial intelligence (AI) are set to become more relevant in the coming years. While research highlights the important role of professionals in social services in successfully implementing ATs, it remains unclear which factors are relevant in the context of AI-infused ATs. Objective With this scoping review, we aimed to discover which aspects influence the acceptance of professionals working in social services towards AI-infused ATs. Design Online databases were used to identify papers published 2019–2024, from which we selected six studies examining the viewpoints of professionals in education, (health)care, and therapy. Thematic analysis of the selected studies was executed and principal findings are summarized. Results All six studies did research on socially assistive/care robotics. 3 out of 6 studies utilized technology acceptance models in their research. The thematic analysis identified five categories as external predictors and four as contextual factors. Two studies reported results based on factors from other theories. Conclusion This review reveals the scarcity of research on the acceptance of professionals in social services towards AI-infused assistive technologies, with results drawing exclusively from human-robot-interaction research. We propose that more research is needed to determine what factors are relevant for the acceptance of AI-infused assistive technologies by professionals in social services.

Domestic violence: A comparative study of perceptions and attitudes toward domestic abuse cases among social service and criminal justice professionals

Human Trafficking and the Emergency Nurse

The purpose of this quality improvement (QI) initiative was to implement a human trafficking (HT) education module for the emergency department (ED) staff and providers along with implementation of a policy and protocol for screening, identification, and referral of HT victims in the ED to increase provider knowledge of HT and ensure provider compliance with the HT protocol via documentation of red flags and screening questions in the electronic medical record along with social services referrals. The goal of the social services referral was to connect the HT victim with community resources that facilitated placement, food, and shelter in the event the trafficking victim accepted rescue. HT is a public health concern, globally, nationally, and at the state and local levels. ED providers, which include advanced practice registered nurses such as nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists, are positioned to be able to identify and treat victims of HT. Therefore, HT victims are being seen and treated in EDs; however, health care providers are not recognizing them. Project design was a QI initiative, which utilized a convenience sample of ED providers. All ED providers and staff completed the HT Education module in Health Stream with pretest/posttest assessments via the PROTECT instrument, which evaluated ED staff/provider knowledge, perceived, actual, and confidence of HT, demographics, previous contact with HT victims, and participant preference for future HT training. HT Education resulted in improved knowledge of participants' perceived, actual, and confidence of HT as demonstrated by statistical significance from pretest to posttest scores; therefore, the HT educational training proved to be beneficial.

The article examines the system of providing social services for persons affected by human trafficking. Based on the analysis of legislative norms, the necessity of making changes and additions to the Law of Ukraine «On combating human trafficking» is substantiated.It is proposed to set out Art. 17 of the Law of Ukraine «On Combating Human Trafficking» in terms of ensuring the rights of persons who have suffered from human trafficking in the following wording: “In order to ensure the realization of the rights provided for by this Law, persons who have suffered from human trafficking may be referred to one of the existing networks centers of social services, centers of social service (provision of social services), centers of social and psychological assistance. The conditions of stay and provision of services to persons affected by human trafficking by the existing network of social service centers, territorial centers of social services (provision of social services), centers for social and psychological rehabilitation of children and shelters for children, centers of social and psychological assistance are regulated by the provisions of the specified institutions . Social services are provided free of charge only with the consent of the injured person or an incapacitated person - with the consent of the body of guardianship and guardianship in the event that such a person has not been appointed a legal representative. The content and scope of social services for each affected person is determined individually depending on their needs and is specified in the contract on the provision of social services in accordance with the standards for providing social services to affected persons, which are approved by the central executive body, which ensures the formation of state policy in the field of prevention and counter-trafficking people, taking into account the requirements of international legal acts». Also taking into account the fact that in Ukraine, persons with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to falling into the situation of human trafficking; persons with injuries, serious illnesses or health disorders (especially mental); elderly people and teenagers; members of lowincome families; representatives of national minorities [3], in our opinion, it is also necessary to resolve the issue of the involvement of guardianship and care authorities for incapacitated persons in the event that such a person has not been appointed a legal representative. The provisions of the Law of Ukraine “On Prevention and Combating Domestic Violence” dated 07.12.2017 No. 2229-VIII can serve as an example, in particular, Article 17 of this act.

Nursing students' knowledge of and exposure to human trafficking content in undergraduate curricula

Addressing physical and psychological sibling violence: Perspectives from youth care professionals in Belgium.

Human trafficking, and more precisely, its very core – the trafficking of women – is an increasingly sophisticated phenomenon in Bangladesh. However, there is a much-neglected area of research that concerns the post-trafficking socio-economic reintegration of women survivors. While there is a growing body of work regarding the experience of the victim, very little is known about the experiences of service providers who provide social and economic assistance for the protection and reintegration of women survivors. Employing an embedded thematic analysis in a qualitative study approach and utilizing interview methods, this study included 30 in-depth interviews with stakeholders. This study makes some key findings that stakeholder perspectives shed light on anti-trafficking policies, addressing complexities for effective interventions and policies. Women survivors of trafficking were vulnerable to socio-economic conditions in their post-trafficking repatriation phases due to prejudice and discrimination, particularly from community members. The social context in Bangladesh shows gender inequality, with high levels of patriarchal dominance denying women survivors access to social facilities and inclusion in society. The discriminatory practices meted out by community members through multiple forms of discrimination, circumnavigating challenges embedded in their post-trafficking lives, and being treated with less valued social roles.

The new un trafficking protocol

Human trafficking severely endangers vulnerable individuals from around the globe. Schools play an important role to educate students the potential harms of human trafficking and should become more intentional in providing support services for children who fall victim to human trafficking. The purpose of this study was to examine how preventive curricula on human trafficking can be successfully implemented in schools because of the direct connection to teaching for social justice. Under the theoretical guise of teaching for social justice, researchers reviewed current literature trends on implementing social justice curricula and current models for teaching about human trafficking. Following the qualitative research case study method, interview data, classroom observation, interval recording, and reflexive notes were collected and analyzed for salient themes to emerge. Findings from this study support the notion that anti–human trafficking curriculum can be implemented in public school settings and yield high engagement among students.

The European Union has developed since the mid-1990's its own policy to prevent and fight against trafficking in human beings (THB). This phenomenon constitutes a threat to the internal security of the European Union, and it also entails severe violations of fundamental rights of its victims. While taking into account the evolution of the definition of THB, as well as the development of a EU multidisciplinary, integrated and holistic approach to THB, this doctoral research focuses on the external dimension of this policy. Firstly the analysis of the EU acquis in this field allows to determine the external competences at its disposal to promote the transposition of its standards beyond its borders. The second part focuses on the interactions between the European Union and the other actors active in this field. The objective is here to demonstrate that their interactions lead to the emergence of harmonized objectives and measures to combat THB in a comprehensive way. Finally the third part aims at assessing the implementation of European and international standards in national legal orders. Two case studies have been selected here: Belgium and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Horrifying stories of victims of sex trafficking have been arousing emotions of sympathy and a need for change in the minds of policy-makers. The United States government has spent over $5 million on combating human trafficking worldwide (as indicated in the Trafficking in persons report, 2008). While existing laws are strengthened and new laws are designed for the protection and recovery of trafficking victims nationally as well as internationally, only 1229 cases have been reported so far by the 42 anti-trafficking taskforces in the United States (as indicated by the Department of Justice in 2009). Since human trafficking efforts are transnational, they call for a multifolded method of policy analysis. The primary purpose of this article is to explore gaps in the human trafficking policy transfer process by analyzing anti-trafficking efforts in the state of Nevada. This article begins by outlining the etiology of policy dichotomy in Nevada with regards to sex trafficking and legal prostitution in some of its counties. The article then describes the prevailing models of policy analysis, and derives a multifolded model of policy analysis to specifically address issues of policy transfer and change in anti-trafficking policies. An outcome analysis of human trafficking policies in Nevada, United States and associated source countries is conducted using the transnational model for policy analysis. The goal of this article is to explore credibility questions in human trafficking by explaining the thinning understanding of the goals with which anti-trafficking protocols were designed at the United Nations in 2000.

Human trafficking is one of the most lucrative international criminal activities and is widespread across a variety of industries. The response to human trafficking in corporate supply chains has been dominated by analyses of due diligence obligations. Existing scholarship, however, has cast doubt on the effectiveness of corporate due diligence in addressing human trafficking, because human trafficking is the outcome of macro-level social structures that are created by and consist of multiple actors, including business. The outsourcing and sub-contracting model provides incentives throughout the global supply chain to sub-contract further to reduce the cost of labor, which has led to human trafficking remaining a pervasive problem. Business responsibility for human trafficking derives from the fact that business decisions and strategies enable the conditions that allow for human trafficking to occur within their supply chains. To address human trafficking, we propose a social connection and political responsibility model, based on Iris Marion Young’s analysis of social connection and structural injustice, that is holistic, forward-looking, and outcomes-oriented. We differentiate between businesses with a strong connection to human trafficking and businesses with a weak connection, and within this distinction delineate different pathways that firms can take to meet their political responsibilities to address human trafficking. We conclude with implications for future research.