Transcription:
Human Trafficking

Prakash Chandran (Host): According to the United Nations, human trafficking is the transfer or harboring of people through force, fraud or deception with the aim of exploiting them for profit. Due to the illegal nature of human trafficking, it can be difficult to gather the exact number of victims each year. However, National Survivor Studies like the Polaris Project report over 20 million people, including men, women, and children are currently being trafficked globally. But who exactly is at risk, what resources are available to victims and how can parents protect their children?

We're gonna talk about it today with Carla Hay, a pediatric forensic nurse at Kentucky Children's Hospital.

Welcome to UK HealthCast, a podcast from UK Healthcare. I'm your host, Prash Chandran. Now, Carla, thank you so much for joining us today. I really appreciate your time, especially around this serious topic.

Now, I gave a definition of human trafficking up at the top, but I'd love for you to add anything that I may have missed, especially because I just want our audience to have a comprehensive understanding of what human trafficking is.

Carla Hay: One thing I would like to be sure and add is that with minors, force, fraud and coercion does not have to be proven for any type of engagement in sex trafficking. I feel like many people in the past have really believed that trafficking only happened in other countries or big cities. I think people are beginning to realize and take an interest of how much is happening in small towns and rural areas. It really happens everywhere, no exceptions at all. And then, traffickers can be seemingly safe. It doesn't have to be somebody that looks or acts or behaves as what we would think a pimp would for sex trafficking. It could be neighbors, business or farm owners, your kids' classmates, and then, sadly, even friends or family.

Host That is just terrible. Now, you were saying that it can happen anywhere in small cities. I'm curious how prevalent is this type of exploitation in Kentucky?

Carla Hay: I believe that it's very underreported. I believe that there's a lot more that goes on than we know about, is because of the nature of it is just really hidden. Through the human trafficking hotline, they have identified around 920 cases of human trafficking. About 2000 victims were identified in these cases, but not just, I believe, but we know that it is much more prevalent than what the statistics are showing. And then, DCBS, so the Department of Community-Based Services, they also started reporting human trafficking cases in 2013. And so, there have been about 1300 alleged victims since that time, with the youngest child being two months of age.

Host Oh, my gosh.

Carla Hay: Yeah.

Host You know, a lot of people might be wondering about UK HealthCare's role in preventing and addressing this issue and why we're having this podcast. So, could you broadly speak about that and specifically the role of the UK Pediatric Forensic Medicine team in just addressing human trafficking as an issue?

Carla Hay: Sure. UK HealthCare is invested in the identification of human trafficking victims. In one study that I know of, most human trafficking victims, they do access healthcare services during their trafficking situation. So, around 88% and about 68% were seen in emergency departments. But our team at the pediatric forensic medicine team at UK, we do participate on local and state human trafficking task forces. We did develop a hospital protocol to identify across the lifespan survivors of human trafficking. And we also participate in ongoing training in human trafficking to keep us aware of the most updated trends in laws surrounding trafficking because we know that traffickers are a step ahead of us. They're making a lot of money from people. And people are something that can be used over and over and over. It's not like a drug, that you can go out and sell a drug and that drug is gone. But humans can be used over and over and over again, and it's such a lucrative business. They always seem to be a step ahead, but we try our best to keep educating ourselves on an ongoing basis, so we know what to look for when they do intersect with a healthcare setting.

Host Yeah, I mean, it is so good that an organization like UK HealthCare stays up-to-date on all of this stuff because it is just so sad what's happening. And like you said, it can be anyone, you know, these traffickers can be anywhere and you really have to be up-to-date as to what they're doing, who they are, and the signs that you need to look out for. So first and foremost, just talking about who traffickers target. I'd love to understand a little bit more about what you know right now.

Carla Hay: Yes. So, traffickers target individuals who are basically already groomed for this type of abuse. Runaway teens and children are especially vulnerable. We know that runaways are typically approached by a trafficker within 48 hours of running away; certainly children and with a history of abuse, neglect, living in poverty and substance abuse issues within their home. But just really, children with low self-esteem or any individual with low self-esteem and a history of abuse or neglect or poverty are targets for human traffickers.

Host So, you mentioned earlier that the UK HealthCare is invested in identifying trafficking victims, and I want to unpack that a little bit. Can you talk about some of the signs of human trafficking, like the key physical and behavioral indicators that healthcare professional might look at and say like, "Hey, there's something going on here"?

Carla Hay: Sure. Just to name a few, we definitely look at signs of physical injuries and abuse. We look for someone that is seeming to adhere to a scripted or rehearsed response when we're interacting with them. Some of the other signs, physical signs are appearing malnourished, tattoos or branding on their neck and/or their lower back. Also, not allowing people to go into public alone, not allowing someone to speak for themselves. There's many key physical and behavioral indicators that we look for when they encounter medical services at UK HealthCare.

Host So, let's say that someone comes in and you identified that they are signaling that they may be showing signs of being part of human trafficking. Is there a protocol or things that you immediately do when you identify that?

Carla Hay: There is. And first and foremost, we try to keep that individual safe. If they're an adult, we can't really make them stay or keep them in a hospital, but we can give them information once we are away from somebody-- if they're with somebody that we feel like is controlling them or not allowing them to speak, we get them away from that person if possible. Tell them we need to take them somewhere for a test or something like that, and they're not allowed to go back and we can give them information on where, if they choose, to report it to police or choose to be out of that situation, what they can do.

As far as children go, children, it's automatically reportable to DCBS if we have suspected trafficking situation for them. And it does not have to be a caregiver. It can be suspect that anybody is trafficking them and we can work with DCBS and law enforcement on those cases automatically. We don't have to have permission from the survivor or victim to be able to help them.

Host Sorry, you said an acronym about an organization. What was that acronym and what was the organization?

Carla Hay: The Department of Community-Based Services, so CPS in the state of Kentucky.

Host I understand. And yeah, we're obviously touching on this, but like talk a little bit more about how UK HealthCare works with organizations like CPS and other local and state governments to address this issue.

Carla Hay: So as far as CPS, and if it's a minor, we can share information about injuries, any information about the medical workup, signs and symptoms of how they presented that lead us to believe that they would be in a trafficking situation. We also talk to them about providing followup services, making sure that this victim is able to follow up because we know this is not something that they're going to come to the emergency department one time or be admitted to the hospital one time and then everything's going to be okay once they're out of that situation. There's a huge psychological impact. So, these children and any victims of human trafficking need ongoing healthcare, ongoing therapy. And we work with the Department of Community-Based Services or some of these other organizations. If it's an adult, social work in the hospital can work with them in making sure that they get the services they need once they're no longer in the hospital setting.

Host So, I am a parent of two children. And as we're talking, I'm just constantly thinking, "Oh my gosh, like what can I do to be proactive about keeping my children safe?" So, can you speak to this? Like, how can you maybe advise us in terms of like either sharing knowledge with our children or otherwise just around keeping them protected?

Carla Hay: Yeah. There's a couple of different things that come to mind. First of all, teaching your children skills for resiliency. I think doing things with your children to maintain a daily routine, helping your child by having them do things to help others. Teaching them self-care, nurturing a positive self view as a parent. And then, also knowing what your kids are doing online, just keeping that communication open. Most kids have cell phones and there are apps on their cell phones that can sometimes lead to them speaking with someone who could possibly be a trafficker. So, knowing what they're doing on their cell phone, knowing what kind of apps they have on their cell phone, knowing who they're with and where they're hanging out are some really important things. And also, just adding to do things to help them build their self-esteem, so they aren't so much of target. If somebody attempts to exploit them in this way, that the very main thing I think is the open communication.

Host Yeah, absolutely. If I suspect human trafficking, whether it be one of my friends or a family member, is there an agency I can reach out to if I have concerns?

Carla Hay: There absolutely is. And there are several agencies that someone can contact. If it's a minor, I would definitely reach out to local law enforcement and the Department of Community-Based Services. There's also a few other places that are on the national level. The National Human Trafficking Hotline is available and it's 1-888-373-7888, and it's a 24/7 hotline that can direct someone to local services, either an individual that's possibly being trafficked or if you have concern that there is someone being trafficked. There's also through the Louisville Catholic Diocese, there is a Bakhita Empowerment Initiative that has a website that has tons of helpful information on there. And definitely, don't want to forget the Polaris Project and there is a lot of information on there that you can go online and educate yourself if you to educate yourself further, and it is polarisproject.org.

Host Well, thank so much for these resources, Carla. I really appreciate it. Just before we close, is there anything else that you'd like to share with our audience regarding trafficking or otherwise?

Carla Hay: I don't think so. I really just appreciate you allowing me to be on here and talk with you today about this. And, you know, I want you to know that UK HealthCare is there if needed for any healthcare concerns regarding trafficking and that we are trying to be a big part of this in combating this in our community.

Host Yeah, definitely. It's so wonderful to have an organization like UK HealthCare, just being proactive and investing resources to prevent this. So, thank you so much for your time.

Carla Hay: Thank you so much.

Host To find out more information about resources for victims of human trafficking, you can visit our website at ukhealthcare.uky.edu and search forensic medicine. If you found this podcast to be helpful, please share it on your social channels, and be sure to check out the entire podcast library for topics of interest to you.

Thanks for listening to UK HealthCast, a podcast from UK HealthCare. I'm Prakash Chandran. Thanks again. Stay well.