Human Trafficking: Care and Response - A Guide for Health Care Professionals - Virginia Hospital ...
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Human Trafficking:
Care and Response
A Guide for Health
Care Professionals
Prepared by the VHHA Human Trafficking Task Force
Reviewed by a Human Trafficking SurvivorHuman Trafficking Task Force……………… 3
Executive Summary…………………………. 4
Key Points…………………………………… 5
Defining Human Trafficking………………... 6
Scope of the Issue…………………………… 7
Child Trafficking……………………………. 8
Adult Trafficking……………………………. 9
Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association
How Human Trafficking Happens…………... 10
©2021 VHHA. All rights reserved.
Red Flags in Health Care Settings…………... 12
The contents of this publication may not be
reproduced by any means, in whole or in part,
without prior written consent from the publisher.
Medical Indications of Exploitation………… 13
Myths vs. Facts……………………………… 14
Questions?
Contact communications@vhha.com Buyers and Perpetrators…………………….. 15
Health Outcomes……………………………. 16
Tools and Resources………………………... 17
Mandatory Reporting Laws in VA………….. 18
Terms and Definitions………………………. 19
Resources…………………………………… 20
The contents of this manual have been developed by
providers, for providers. This document contains sensitive
and sometimes explicit information that may not be suitable
for, or could be upsetting to, patients or survivors. Reader
discretion is advised.
This manual was reviewed by a human trafficking survivor.The VHHA Human Trafficking Task Force was established in 2019 with the support of the VHHA Board
of Directors to develop strategies and best practices to support Virginia hospitals and health systems in
relation to clinical and non-clinical staff encounters with people who are suspected or confirmed victims
of sexual or labor exploitation as a result of human trafficking. The Virginia Hospital & Healthcare
Association extends its thanks to the members of the VHHA Human Trafficking Task Force:
Rhonda Boyett, BSN, RN, CEN, SANE-A Sara B. Jennings, DNP, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P,
Forensic Nursing Program Coordinator AFN-BC, Co-Chair
Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center International Association of Forensic Nurses
Shelly M. Brown, MSN, RN, SANE-A, CNV Lindsey Lanham
Forensic Nurse Examiner, Team Coordinator Communications Manager
VCU Health System VHHA
Kelly Cannon Cynthia Leahy, MSN, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P
Director of State Advocacy Forensic Nurse Examiner
VHHA Winchester Medical Center (Valley Health)
Jean A. Cheek, DNP, RN, SANE-A, CNV Madeline Livingston, BSN, RN
Forensic Nurse Examiner Coordinator Emergency Department Nurse
VCU Health System Virginia Hospital Center
Katherine P. Deye, MD, FAAP Courtney M. O’Brien, RN, BSN, CEN, Co-Chair
Pediatric Medical Director Emergency Department Nurse
Inova Fairfax Hospital Medical Campus Virginia Hospital Center
Robin Foster, MD, Co-Chair Pam Phillips
Director of Child Protection Team Senior Vice President of Mission
VCU Health System Bon Secours Hampton Roads Health System
Lisa Fracher, RN, BSN Bonnie Price, DNP, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P,
Forensic Nurse Examiner AFN-BC
Augusta Health Administrative Director, Community Health Advocacy
Bon Secours Richmond Health System
W. Davis Gammon, MPA
Project Manager Renee Pullen, BSN/BA, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P
VHHA Coordinator, Forensic Medical Response Team
Augusta Health
Mary B. Hale
Director Roger A. “Tony” Raker
Inova Ewing FACT Team System Director, External Communications
Inova Health System
Melissa Ratcliff Harper, MSN, RN, APRN,
SANE-A, SANE-P Jo-Ann Robbins, RN
Nurse Team Lead, Forensic Nurse Examiner Emergency Department Case Manager
Carilion Clinic Chippenham Hospital (HCA Virginia)
* All names, titles, and affiliations correspond to Task Force members’ roles when this report was compiled.VHHA Human Trafficking Task Force Members (continued)
Shannon Scott, BSN, RN, CEN, SANE-P Nancy L. Susco, NE-BC, RN-BC, ONC
Forensic Nurse Examiner Surgical Unit Director
Mary Washington Healthcare Forensic Services Reston Hospital Center (HCA Virginia)
Shannon Stewart, LCSW Julian Walker, Task Force Staff Liaison
Case Management Vice President of Communications
Chippenham Hospital (HCA Virginia) VHHA
VHHA Human Trafficking Task Force Mission Statement: To develop a framework for a coordinated,
survivor, and trauma-informed response within each Virginia hospital to establish evidence-based guide-
lines for health care staff on identification, response, and care to meet the needs of trafficked patients and to
promote access to available and appropriate resources.
The goal of this document is to provide an informational framework for hospital-based health care providers
and other professionals who interact with human trafficking survivors in a clinical setting by sharing vital
information, best practices, resources, and other reference materials. Provider experience indicates that the
majority of human trafficking survivors visit a health care professional at some point while being trafficked.
While there are limitations to the scope of the available data regarding the full extent of human trafficking,
the information contained herein is based on health care provider experience in Virginia and research
conducted by scholars and organizations focused on assisting trafficking survivors and documenting the
breadth of this public health issue. These materials are intended to be used as a resource for hospitals and
health care providers in Virginia that have human trafficking assessment standards in place, as well as for
those that do not. The hope is that this document will serve as a guide to assist in the process of accommo-
dating and treating patients who are suspected of being trafficked, and in helping facilities develop or refine
protocols and standards related to human trafficking identification and response.
While patients who are being exploited by a trafficker may present with an
array of health care challenges, the ultimate goal for the frontline provid-
er is the same as it is for any patient: to render appropriate care and
keep the patient safe from harm. In this manual, we present infor-
mation about the scope of human trafficking, distinctions be-
tween sexual and labor exploitation, youth and adult exploita-
tion, summary information about relevant Virginia laws, the
ways in which trafficking can occur, information about buy-
ers and perpetrators, medical indicators and health outcomes
seen in trafficking patients, red flags that may indicate a pa-
tient is being exploited, resources for applying sensitivity to
the process of screening patients and eliciting information
from them, separating human trafficking myth from fact, and
information about options for staff training, safety, and
patient discharge.Before moving forward, here are a few key points that are important to emphasize:
• People exploited by traffickers experience dehumanizing treatment, abuse, or worse. It’s critical
for health care professionals who interact with patients suspected of being trafficked to avoid
judgement or blame of people victimized and manipulated by traffickers. Developing trust with
these patients, when experience has taught them to be mistrustful, is key.
• Health care providers should be mindful of language choices regarding how patients suspected of be-
ing trafficked are described and referred to. Terms like “patient,” “victim,” and “survivor” can each
have different meanings and interpretations. Developing appropriate terminology standards for
your organization is advisable because not every person who has been trafficked considers
themselves a victim. Unintentional use of the wrong descriptor in the presence of a patient who is
already experiencing a whirlwind of emotions can cause a patient to have an adverse reaction or be-
come uncooperative.
• Health care providers should also be aware that individuals who have been exploited have endured a
traumatic experience and, as a result, may be mistrustful of those they aren’t familiar with or who
they perceive as authority figures. In these situations, providers should exercise sensitivity to build
rapport with a patient, offer them food, clothing, shelter, or other emotional or physical reas-
surance, and try to patiently communicate with the person presenting for care.
• While much of the attention regarding trafficking can appear to be focused on combating sexual ex-
ploitation and assisting people who have been subjected to it, it is critical for providers to remem-
ber that trafficking can also involve forced or coerced labor, as well as other forms of involun-
tary servitude, that are harmful to exploited individuals. This can include domestic work, the food
and hospitality service industry, and agricultural jobs. Industries in which workers are itinerant, isolat-
ed from broader society, or based on illegal practices can be havens for labor trafficking. Both undoc-
umented immigrants, as well as marginalized or vulnerable citizens of all ages, can be susceptible to
labor exploitation.
• The Human Trafficking Task Force encourages Virginia hospitals and health systems which do
not already have human trafficking awareness training in place to develop and implement a
training protocol for appropriate staff members to heighten their understanding of human traffick-
ing, to be on alert for signs that a patient may be in an exploitive situation, and establish organization-
al standards for elevating those suspicions through appropriate channels.Sex Trafficking (Federal Definition)
The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, obtaining, patronizing,
or soliciting of a person for the purposes of a commercial sex act, in which the
commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the
person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age.
Labor Trafficking (Federal Definition)
The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for
labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purposes of
subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.
Several passages of Virginia law address human trafficking and related offenses. The Code of Virginia
references the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 and the Justice for Victims of Trafficking
Act of 2015 in passages defining people deemed to have been exploited by traffickers. In Virginia Code
section 18.2-355, trafficking is further identified as applying to the following circumstances:
• Taking, persuading, or encouraging a person to enter a “bawdy place” against their will for the purpose
of prostitution or unlawful sexual intercourse.
• Taking or detaining a person against their will with the intent to compel them by force, threat,
persuasion, or duress to marry another person or to be defiled.
• Being a parent, guardian, or legal custodian who consents to a person in their care being taken or
detained for the purpose of prostitution or unlawful sexual intercourse.
• Taking, persuading, or encouraging a minor to enter a “bawdy place” for the purpose of prostitution
or unlawful sexual intercourse.
Additional information about applicable state laws can be found here:
https://www.oag.state.va.us/files/HumanTraffLaws.pdfGlobally, human
trafficking is said to
affect more than 40
million survivors and is
a $150 billion industry.
Many traffickers are
solo operators who
control and exploit
people locally.
DOJ has called human
trafficking the world’s
fastest growing, and its
second most profitable
criminal enterprise.
In 2019, Virginia
had 189 human
trafficking cases
reported to the
NHTH.• Involving someone under the age of 18 in commercial
sexual activity is considered trafficking regardless of
whether force, fraud, or coercion are involved; there is
no such thing as a child prostitute.
• Scholarly research conducted in the late 1990s and early
2000s estimated that the average age at which
a person enters into trafficking is early adolescence,
though victimization is not exclusive to any age range.
• Any minor can be a target for exploitation by a
trafficker, including infants, toddlers, and children.
• Many of those exploited have a history of child
abuse or family dysfunction.
• Youth who have been trafficked may live at home with
unsuspecting family members, in foster care,
or be homeless.
• Parents can traffic. Many exploited youth are
trafficked by someone they know.
• While some environmental, home life, or familial
factors can play a role in a person being trafficked,
this kind of exploitation does not discriminate.
• Those who are exploited can come from unstable
family settings where socioeconomic challenges
are present, or from seemingly stable, middle class
or affluent families.
• LGBTQ+ youths can be particularly vulnerable.
• Examples of child labor exploitation can include,
but are not limited to, juveniles being pressed into
roadside panhandling, or door-to-door sales of candy
or magazines.
*While these statistics and statements are frequently • There is an inter-generational component, so if a
cited, some are anecdotal rather than research-based. parent is trafficked, it’s more likely their child will also
Use with caution. be trafficked.Adult trafficking is a condition of exploitation in which the subservience of people being exploited is
achieved through force, fraud, or coercion. It can take many forms, in different settings, including but
not limited to:
• Brothel-based.
• Street or internet-based.
• Pornography.
• Exotic dance.
• Gang or family imposed.
• Any sexual act performed in exchange for a promise of food, clothing, shelter, drugs,
money, gifts, or services.
It should be noted that while all prostitution is not trafficking, it can be when force, fraud, or coercion
is present.
Recognition of that reality is being incorporated into Virginia law modifications to reflect this fact as it
applies to the evaluation of criminal charges in certain circumstances.
Adult trafficking may also include the exploitation of elders and those with developmental delays.
In 2019, the Polaris
Project worked on
11,500 reported
human trafficking
cases in the U.S.Grooming Citizenship Drug Treatment
This can manifest itself in the Promises of marriage to Some traffickers scout
formation of a trauma bond obtain citizenship or the potential targets by getting
the exploited individual opportunity to acquire legal themselves admitted to a drug
develops towards the person residence status. treatment program to identify
victimizing them. vulnerable people.
• Traffickers can be family members of a person they are exploiting (parent, aunt, uncle, etc.).
• A trafficker can be any gender. Sometimes traffickers employ young people to help their
recruitment activities.
• In many cases, traffickers know the people they exploit.
• Often, there isn’t a vast age difference between a trafficker and the person they are exploiting.
• Some traffickers entrap individuals through a “bait-and-switch” tactic by initially presenting the
relationship as romantic before coercing a partner into having sex for money by normalizing the
behavior, through emotional manipulation, or by characterizing the exploitation as necessary to
maintain a home, pay bills, gain financial independence, etc.
Blackmail and Entrapment Traumatization Relationships
Threatening to disclose May include being beaten into Deceiving a person to make
intimate recordings, secrets, submission, gang rape or them believe someone they’ve
or sexual orientation as violent initiation, hazing or met online is looking for
a form of manipulation. branding, including tattoos. friendship or romance.Modeling Jobs Online Activity Target Locations
Luring people with offers of Targeting potential victims Traffickers target
modeling/acting jobs, photo through popular social media locations such as schools,
shoots, or music video channels, apps, and websites. shopping malls, and popular
recording sessions. teenage gathering spots.
Other potential human trafficking methods may include:
• Traffickers promising food and shelter in exchange for forced labor.
• Youths who are runaways, homeless, or in foster care, can be targets for traffickers. The same is true
of LGBTQ+ youths who may feel alienated or rejected by peers, or discriminated against in “normal”
social settings.
• People with a history of emotional or behavioral health challenges, or a history of substance abuse,
or who have social, physical, or behavioral vulnerabilities can also be targeted by predators.
Truck Stops Drugs Hotel or “Skip Day” Parties
Rest areas, truck stops, Inducing a person Scouts are paid to
major highway interchanges, to become drug recruit youth from
and hotels are locations dependent to create school to lure them
where exploitation can occur. leverage over them. under false pretenses.Clinical Staff Should be Alert for these Signs
• Traffickers can be any gender. Terms you • A trafficker may be in the presence of
may hear when a female is involved in the multiple females. In some instances, one of
exploitation, or is monitoring a patient being the females may be the person who helps
treated, include “sister,” “wifey,” wifey-in- control and recruit exploited individuals, who
law,” “sister cousin,” or “bottom bitch.” manages the money, and who may have a
• When a trafficked individual is receiving care longer relationship with the trafficker than
others in their cohort.
in a health care setting, their trafficker may
be present and exhibit these tendencies and • Display defiant, angry behavior (due to fear
behaviors: of discovery) particularly in adolescent
patients, if they fear being taken away from
✓ Identifies as a patient’s family member
their trafficker. Patients may constantly use a
such as an uncle or a boyfriend (often an phone, send texts, and leave the phone on, or
older significant other). be eager to leave the hospital.
✓ Exerts relational control over the patient • Be mindful that individuals can come from
– won’t leave the patient alone, always an upper class family or a lower class family.
stays in line of sight or within ear shot,
won’t let them speak for themselves. • Patient injuries don’t match with explanation
provided.
✓ Doesn’t allow the patient to speak, or the
patient looks to the trafficker for approval • Those being exploited are often prohibited
to respond (similar to what’s seen with from freely using the bathroom and
patients being treated for intimate partner menstrual cycles may be controlled or appear
violence or child abuse). abnormal.
• A patient may be reluctant to speak, have • Another indication may be individuals who
difficulty responding to questions, or provide have been beaten, raped, or deprived of
incorrect information about their identity or nourishment or rest when they are part of a
address. stable and have failed to meet a quota.
Non-Clinical Staff Should be Alert for these Signs
• Trained registration staff can be key resources in helping to spot individuals who are being exploited because
patients may unintentionally let their guard down or be distracted in front of non-clinicians. Things to look out for:
✓ Payment for treatment is made with cash; or someone who isn’t their guardian has patient information.
✓ Patient is unable to answer personal questions (full name, date of birth, medical history, etc.).
✓ Lack of health insurance card for pediatric patients (they are eligible for CHIP).
✓ Atypical forms of identification (birth certificate, passport, social security card) or none at all for pediatric
patients, or there are gaps and holes in information given.
✓ A pediatric patient who is unable to say where they attend school.Patient Ailments that may be Associated with Labor or Sex Trafficking
Black Eyes, Petechiae, or
Bald Spots
History of Bite Marks
Temporomandibular Previous Head
Joint Disorder Trauma
Poor Dental (Hair May
Hygiene be Out of
Place)
Abnormal Tattoos (Ex. bar codes, dollar signs, etc.)
Scars from
Suspicious Burns
Ligature Marks (Wrists,
Ankles, or Penile Shaft)
Abdominal Scars, Malnourishment,
Dehydration, or Exhaustion
History or
Opportunistic Infections (HIV, Hepatitis C) Presence of STIs
or Syphilis in Younger People;
Undiagnosed UTIs Pelvic Inflammatory
Disease
Other Red Flags and Medical Indicators
History of drug abuse (prescribed or illicit narcotics), suicide, or overdose; patient’s overall
health condition is poorer than the condition for which they present seeking treatment
(e.g. ear infection) and they visually appear unhealthy; history or trauma
offered doesn’t match patient’s physical condition; tattoos, bruises, markings, needle track marks, or
self-harm (cutting); foreign body, especially in the vagina; sleep-deprived; abnormal pathogens;
respiratory distress; history of (or positive test for) tuberculosis; vaginal bleeding or anal fistulas.•Human trafficking is a •Many traffickers use
violent crime and traffickers psychological tactics to
often use physical violence to coerce people into sex
achieve their goals. or labor exploitation.
•All human trafficking is •Experts estimate there are
commercial sex. more labor trafficking cases
than sex cases.
• People being exploited by • In Virginia, most of the
trafficking are foreign people being trafficked are
nationals and not U.S. domestic, not foreign
citizens. nationals; including people
who live at home.
•Human trafficking exploitation • Minors are often
only happens to adults. exploited in human
trafficking.
•It’s easy to break free from •Many people have
being trafficked. difficulty transitioning out
of exploitation; some see
their former life as worse.
•Only women and girls •People of any gender,
are exploited by sexual orientation, race,
human trafficking. socioeconomic status, or
age can be exploited.
https://polarisproject.org/human-trafficking-myths-and-facts• Perpetrators are often manipulative and form
emotional bonds with people they traffic.
• They generally target emotionally vulnerable
people, and sometimes will use blackmail to
coerce people into trafficking.
• Traffickers sometimes act as “pimps”
and may simultaneously traffic multiple people.
Sometimes, they will use one of their victims to
recruit other people.
• Perpetrators may form emotional bonds
with those they traffic, similar to Stockholm
Syndrome, and the patient may be afraid of
breaking that bond.
Buyers
• Perpetrators can exploit people through labor
or sex trafficking.
• Many buyers don’t wear condoms during
intercourse, which can lead to the spread
PERPETRATORS
of STDs and pregnancy scares.
• Buyers are aided by the ease and relative
anonymity of making internet purchases,
which limits fear of prosecution.
• Purchases can be made through the dark web
and buyers can use technology tools to conceal
their actions and complete transactions with
cryptocurrency the government can’t track.
• Mobile app-based arrangements, or online
advertising portals, can also be used to facilitate
transactions.
• Virginia has strengthened some criminal
penalties in recent years. However, building
legal cases against buyers can be challenging
for law enforcement officers and prosecutors.
• The anonymous nature of the arrangement can
leave buyers immune from the circumstance and
largely uninformed about the scope and horror of
trafficking.
*While these statistics and statements are frequently cited, some are
anecdotal rather than research-based.Health issues observed in patients who have been exploited by traffickers tend to be associated with
factors linked to the day-to-day living conditions experienced by these individuals, including:
• Deprivation of food and sleep.
• Extreme stress.
• Injuries associated with transportation.
• Physical or sexual violence.
Many people exploited by traffickers lack timely access to health care, meaning there is a tendency for
clinicians to observe more advanced health problems in these patients because treatment of their
condition has been delayed.
Women who have been trafficked are at a heightened risk for acquiring STI and the sequelae of multiple
forced or unsafe abortions.
One study that surveyed health care providers about their experiences working with trafficked individuals
indicates that patients can be less stable, more isolated, have higher levels of fear, more severe trauma,
and greater mental health needs than other crime victims.
Among the health ailments and injuries trafficking • Undetected or untreated diseases such as
patients can present with are: diabetes or cancer.
• Emotional or behavioral conditions associated
• Oral health or dental conditions. with psychological violence, such as:
• Pelvic injury or chronic pain. ✓ Post-traumatic stress disorder.
• Fractures, scars, bruises, or other signs of abuse, ✓ Depression, anxiety, or panic attacks.
torture, or self harm. ✓ Suicidal ideation.
• Burns. ✓ Drug addiction or substance abuse.
• Complications from pregnancy ✓ Low self-esteem and self harm.
termination.
✓ Traumatic brain injury.
• Gastrointestinal issues (unnatural weight loss).
• A multitude of somatic symptoms.
• The presence of pathogens (conditions such as
gonorrhea or chlamydia) in the respiratory tract. • Infectious diseases such as tuberculosis.
• Unhealthy weight loss associated with • Weakened eyes from working in dimly lit
malnourishment. conditions (Photophobia).
• Unwanted pregnancy. • Off-schedule development such as early
pubertal maturation due to early sexual
• Infertility associated with STI. exploitation or early forced labor.
*While these statistics and statements are frequently cited, some are anecdotal rather than research-based.Human Trafficking Patient Screening Tools
• The WestCoast Children’s Clinic Commercial Sexual Exploitation – Identification Tool:
https://tinyurl.com/tfwvc7o
• The Vera Institute of Justice Screening for Human Trafficking: Guidelines for Administering the
Trafficking Victim Identification Tool (TVIT): https://tinyurl.com/rgqnsux
• National Human Trafficking Resource Center: https://tinyurl.com/vsfo7tg
• Caring for Trafficked Persons – Guidance for Health Providers: https://tinyurl.com/yx8ewwfg
• Massachusetts Medical Society – Human Trafficking Guidebook on Identification, Assessment, and
Response in the Health Care Setting: https://tinyurl.com/vo6uk9u
• HEAL Protocol Toolkit: https://tinyurl.com/yacaqyww
ICD-10-CM Codes
In mid-2018, a new set of ICD-10-CM (International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision,
Clinical Modification) codes were unveiled to help clinicians classify patient health situations that are
indicative of human trafficking. Opinions about the potential pros and cons of using ICD-10 human
trafficking codes differ among members of the VHHA Human Trafficking Task Force. Some members
consider the codes valuable for purposes of collecting data that can help better determine the scope of
this public health issues. Other members have concerns that use of the codes may present safety issues
as well as long-term stigmatizing effects on patients’ permanent medical records. Accordingly, the task
force makes no recommendation about use of the human trafficking ICD-10 codes other than to alert
members of the hospital and health system community to their existence as an available tool.
Staff Education
The VHHA Human Task Force encourages member hospitals and health systems that do not have a human
trafficking training module to develop one for staff, or to incorporate an existing module into staff
onboarding or in-service training protocols. One available resource is the International Association of Forensic
Nurses website at www.forensicnurses.org. The site provides an array of useful information. The IAFN
website is one of many online portals for obtaining helpful information about human trafficking and forensic
nursing. Another useful site is www.SAFEta.org, which includes recommendations on patient discharge and
follow up. The PEARR Tool is a step-by-step guide on handling a patient suspected of being abused in some
form that you can download at https://tinyurl.com/wsyuxd6.A Summary of Mandatory
Reporting Laws in Virginia
Tougher criminal
The Virginia General Assembly has approved a
number of state lawpenalties
changes aimedforat strengthening
legal tools to combat human trafficking and
requirements for mandatory reporting, including:
• Virginia law requires mandated reporting by
health care professionals if a child is suspected
of suffering from abuse or neglect, if an aged or
incapacitated adult is suspected of suffering from
abuse, neglect, or exploitation, or for patients
who are receiving treatment for a wound that is
believed to have been inflicted by a weapon.
• The following professionals are required to
report suspected child abuse or neglect: health
care professionals, social workers, probation
officers, teachers, any person providing child
care, mental health professionals, law
enforcement or animal control officers,
mediators eligible to receive court referrals,
emergency medical services provider certified by
the Board of Health, any athletic coach or
director 18 years of age or older, employees 18
years of age or older in day camps or youth
centers, any person employed by an institution of
higher learning, any person 18 years of age or
older who has had training approved by the
Department of Social Services, any person
employed by a local department, or any person
designated to a court-appointed special advocate
pursuant.
• Virginia law also requires mandatory reporting
of suspected elder abuse or neglect.Glossary of Terms Associated with Human Trafficking Bawdy Place — A brothel, or an establishment where commercial or forced sexual exploitation takes place. Blackmail — Extortion or coercion by threats especially of public exposure or criminal prosecution. Bottom — A female assigned by a pimp or trafficker to supervise other individuals in a stable. Buyer — A person who purchases an encounter with an individual being exploited in sex trafficking. Entrapment — The use of manipulative tactics to coerce a person into exploitation. Grooming — The action by a pedophile of preparing a child for a meeting, e.g. via an Internet chat room or another online encounter, with the intention of committing a sexual offense. John — A term used to identify a buyer. Labor Trafficking — The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purposes of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery. Perpetrator — A person who perpetrates, or commits, an illegal, criminal act (in this case, related to human trafficking and exploitation). Photophobia — Extreme sensitivity to light, a condition sometimes associated with exploited individuals being deprived of exposure to light. Pimp — A person who exerts control over, and lives off the earnings of, one or more prostitutes. Quota — The number of individuals in a “stable” or group of individuals who are being exploited. Sex Trafficking —The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, obtaining, patronizing, or soliciting of a person for the purposes of a commercial sex act, in which the commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age. “Skip Day” Parties — Designated days on which children skip school to attend parties; these events can be opportunities for traffickers to target potential exploitation victims. Stable — A group of people under the control of a pimp or trafficker. Temporomandibular Joint Disorder — A group of symptoms that may include pain or tenderness in the temporomandibular joint or muscles surrounding the jaw; TJD can be associated with individuals who have been exploited. Trauma Bond — The strong emotional attachment that can develop between an abuser and their victim; similar to Stockholm Syndrome. Wifey — A self-referential term used by women being controlled by the same pimp or trafficker.
• National Human Trafficking Resource Center: Polaris Project
✓ www.polarisproject.org
• National Human Trafficking Hotline
✓ 1-888-373-7888 Tougher criminal
• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children penalties for
✓ www.missingkids.org/HOME
✓ 1-800-843-5678
• Richmond Justice Initiative
✓ www.rvaji.com
✓ 804 299-4473
• Prevention Project
✓ www.prevention-project.org
• ImPACT Virginia
✓ www.impactvirginia.org
• The Greater Richmond Regional Hotline
✓ 804-612-6126
• Safe Harbor
✓ www.safeharborshelter.com
✓ 24 Hour Confidential Helpline: 804-612-6126
• Make Human Trafficking History
✓ www.makehumantraffickinghistory.org
• Virginia Victim Assistance Network
✓ www.vanetwork.org
✓ 804-331-4057
• Central Virginia Justice Initiative
✓ www.centralvajusticeinitiative.com
✓ 866-620-2889 ext. 1
✓ justicecva@gmail.com• Samaritan House
✓ https://samaritanhouseva.org/
✓ 24 Hour Crisis Hotline: 757-430-2120
• Virginia Beach Justice Initiative
✓ www.vbji.org
✓ 877-227-2321
• Seton Youth Shelters
✓ 24 Hour Crisis Hotline: 866-751-7640
✓ 757-498-HELP (4357)
• Latisha’s House Foundation
✓ 757-741-2798
• Survivor Ventures
✓ www.survivorventures.org
✓ 757-317-0352
✓ info@survivorventures.org
• HER Shelter
✓ www.hershelter.com
✓ 757-485-3384
• The Genieve Shelter
✓ www.thegenieveshelter.org
✓ 757-925-4365 or 800-969-4673
• Reset 180
✓ www.reset180.com
✓ 703-634-6061
• ACTS—Action in Community Through Service
✓ www.actspwc.org
✓ 703-368-4141• Northern Virginia Family Service
✓ www.nvfs.org
✓ 571-748-2500
• Sun-Gate Foundation Tougher criminal
✓ www.sun-gate.org penalties for
✓ 571-403-1495
• North Spring Behavioral Healthcare
✓ www.northspringleesburg.com
✓ 703-554-6300
• Just Ask Prevention
✓ www.justaskprevention.org
✓ info@justaskprevention.org
✓ 833-ASK2END
• Safe Harbor
✓ www.safeharborshelter.com
✓ 24 Hour Confidential Helpline: 804-612-6126
• Legal Services of Northern Virginia
✓ www.lsnv.org
✓ help@lsnv.org
✓ 703-778-6800 or 866-534-5243
• Fairfax County Department of Family Services, Domestic and Sexual Violence Services
✓ www.fairfaxcounty.gov
✓ DFSinfo@fairfaxcounty.gov
✓ 24-7 Greater Richmond Regional Hotline: 804-612-6126
• Courtney’s House
✓ www.courtneyshouse.org
✓ 202-525-1426• Freedom 424
✓ www.freedom424.org
✓ 434-582-4517
✓ events@freedom424.org
• New Directions Center
✓ www.newdirectionscenter.org
✓ 540-885-7273
✓ Crisis Hotline: 540-886-6800
• ChildFund International
✓ www.childfund.org
✓ 800-776-6767
✓ questions@ChildFund.org
• The Butterfly House
✓ https://thebutterfly.house
✓ 757-839-9932
• Second Story
✓ www.second-story.org
✓ 703-506-9191 or 800-SAY-TEEN (24 hour Crisis Hotline)
• Why, Incorporated
✓ www.whyinc.org
✓ 571-426-8418
✓ 757-498-HELP (4357)
• Latisha’s House Foundation
✓ 757-741-2798
• Youth for Tomorrow
✓ www.youthfortomorrow.org
✓ 703-368-7995• Street Ransom (Roanoke)
✓ info@streetransom
• Madeline’s House
✓ www.scvpcares.org/Madelines-House Tougher criminal
✓ info@madelineshouse.org penalties for
✓ 888-819-2926You can also read
