The Growing Business of Human Trafficking and the Power of Emergency Nurses to Stop It

Abstract

You may have thought that slavery was an atrocious crime of the past, but you had better think again. There are more slaves in the world right now than at any other time in history. 1 Skinner B A Crime So Monstrous: Face-to-Face With Modern-Day Slavery. Free Press, New York, NY2008: xv Google Scholar Although exact numbers are difficult to determine, slavery is well known to be a global problem of significant magnitude. Modern-day slavery, known as human trafficking (HT), focuses on large profits and cheap lives. It is an unimaginable abuse of human rights that shatters victims both physically and psychologically, as it undermines the health and safety of all communities it touches. Although most of its victims have little or no access to health care, almost 30% will end up somewhere within the health care system seeking treatment for illnesses or injuries sustained while in captivity. Tragically, the majority of these individuals will not be recognized as victims of trafficking and therefore will not receive appropriate interventions to help them escape and reintegrate back into society. 2 Family Violence Prevention Fund, World Childhood Foundation. Turning Pain Into Power: Trafficking Survivors’ Perspectives on Early Intervention Strategies. San Francisco, CA: Family Violence Prevention Fund; 2005:14. http://www.endabuse.org/userfiles/file/Immigrant/Women/Turning%20Pain%intoPower. Accessed November 27, 2010. Google Scholar Emergency nurses are often the first health care professionals to interact with victims because the brutal nature of the business frequently leaves these victims with life-threatening injuries. As frontline caregivers, these nurses are also the link between victims and other service providers, making it necessary for the nurses to be skilled in identifying victims, providing appropriate interventions, and working collaboratively with other agencies to protect victims from further harm. The purpose of this article is to examine the role of emergency nurses when confronted with potential victims of HT. Although some people may find this article disturbing, the reality of this heinous business and its effects on humanity must be exposed if victims are to be saved. Karen Peters, Member, Oklahoma Chapter ENA, is Assistant Professor, College of Nursing, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK.