Human trafficking has been increasingly recognized worldwide as a major public health problem. It is a crime based on exploitation of the most vulnerable and marginalized individuals of any community and is a violation of human rights. Children are especially at risk of victimization and may experience considerable physical and mental health consequences. Adding these problems to pre-existing vulnerabilities and adversities makes human trafficking a complex health issue that needs to be addressed by a multidisciplinary team including health care providers. Professionals working with children have the responsibility to screen and report suspected child trafficking and offer services as appropriate. This presentation will focus on what makes children vulnerable to being trafficked and how to prevent trafficking in children. It will help attendees recognize child victims of human trafficking and address their needs in a trauma-sensitive approach. It will also focus on what the medical evaluation entails and why it is important in high-risk children to address the health consequences of being trafficked. The presentation will be case-based, and attendees will learn from different examples and cases throughout the talk (Nazer, D. & Greenbaum J., 2020; Greenbaum, J. & Bodrick, N., 2017). At the end of the presentation, attendees will be able to recognize risk factors, identify victims, and more importantly realize how important it is to work collaboratively with other professionals to prevent human trafficking.
Dr. Dena Nazer is an Associate Professor at Wayne State University. She is the Medical Director of the Kids-TALK Children’s Advocacy Center where she evaluates child victims of human trafficking. Dr. Nazer was appointed by the Governor as a member of the Human Trafficking Health Advisory Board. She is passionate about educating professionals locally and internationally.