Hospital Health Provider Experiences of Identifying and Treating Trafficked Persons

ABSTRACT

Over the past 20 years, human trafficking (“trafficking”) has generated much public attention throughout the world. The problem has received growing media coverage and increased anti-trafficking activism. Additionally countries have created new policies, laws, and enforcement mechanisms to tackle the problem. This micro level study examined the lived experiences of 22 health and allied health workers situated within St Vincent’s Health Australia’s Melbourne facility, and reports on their identification, assessment, treatment, and outreach to trafficked persons. The results indicated that trafficked persons were predominantly invisible within the health setting. When practitioners did suspect trafficking, they considered themselves as lacking the professional skills and knowledge, or the clear organisational policy or procedures to confidently identify and manage the complex health needs of the suspected trafficked persons. The findings contribute to St Vincent’s Health Australia’s goal of formulating contextually appropriate policy and practices that will assist in the identification of and response to the health needs of trafficked persons.

IMPLICATIONS

• The health needs of trafficked persons are multiple and interrelated and require health care providers and systems to be skilled in the identification, intervention, and treatment of trafficked persons.

• Education and training of health professionals is the cornerstone of the identification, intervention, and treatment of trafficked persons.

• Social workers’ specific focus on person-in-environment may be an important contribution to the identification and treatment of trafficked persons.

过去二十多年里，贩卖人口在全世界引起了关注。媒体报道日益增多，反贩卖行动日益增强。各国也出台了新的政策、法规、机制以解决这个问题。本文属微观研究，涉及澳大利亚圣文森健康集团在墨尔本机构中22位健康工作者以及健康协理员的实际经历，并对被贩运人员的认定、评估、治疗及服务等等做了介绍。研究发现，被贩卖者在健康体系内几乎看不到。当工作人员疑心到人口贩运时，他们觉得自己缺少专业技能和知识，缺少明确的组织政策或程序来确认并管理疑似被贩运者复杂的健康需求。这些研究发现有助于澳大利亚圣文森健康集团形成符合实际的政策及实践，以发现并满足被贩运人员的健康需求。

KEYWORDS:

• Trafficking
• Enslavement
• Practice

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

ORCID

Doris Testa http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7107-1752