Human Trafficking: How to Help Victims with Special Needs
By Zack Janiel
Children with special needs are particularly vulnerable to traffickers. Human trafficking is a worldwide issue, and it's difficult to estimate the number of human trafficking victims with special needs. Traffickers often target people with cognitive or communication problems.
Survivors require medical treatment and mental health care. However, many human trafficking victims with special needs struggle to communicate with unfamiliar healthcare providers.
We are all aware that human trafficking is a heinous crime, but what is frequently overlooked is the fact that people with disabilities are more vulnerable to exploitation. According to research, people with disabilities are more than twice as likely as their non-disabled peers to become victims of sexual exploitation.
Furthermore, people with mental health issues are more likely to become victims of human trafficking than those who do not have such problems. Substance abuse disorders, homelessness, and other unstable living situations can contribute to this. This article will discuss how people with special needs become vulnerable to human trafficking and how you can help them as a healthcare professional.
What’s In The Article?
The Vulnerability Of People With Special Needs In Human Trafficking
Signs Of Human Trafficking
Violence, Torture, And Manipulation In Human Trafficking
The Medical Needs Of Human Trafficking Victims
How to Approach Human Trafficking Victims With Special Needs
Final Thoughts
The Vulnerability Of People With Special Needs In Human Trafficking
According to research, people with disabilities are more vulnerable to exploitation and trafficking. From January 2015 to December 2017, the Human Trafficking Hotline recorded 2,116 potential victims with pre-existing health conditions or disabilities before exploitation. While these figures are significant, they do not tell the entire story. Since many victims do not self-identify as victims of trafficking or understand what either term means, it can be difficult to accurately quantify how many people are affected by this crime in any given year.
The following are some of the reasons why human trafficking victims with special needs are prevalent:
Traffickers can take advantage of the trust and dependency of children and adults with disabilities.
Children with special needs may have cognitive or communication issues that make it difficult to communicate with others, such as law enforcement officers or social service workers.
Victims with disabilities are frequently placed in hospitals and institutions where they receive little attention from staff members who are supposed to monitor them at all times.
Traffickers target people with cognitive or communication issues. They frequently take advantage of people with disabilities since they are more easily manipulated and controlled, making them more vulnerable to trafficking. For instance, traffickers target people who have difficulty communicating with healthcare providers or police officers, which can occur when a victim has an intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Furthermore, some victims may be unable to clearly describe what happened during their exploitation since they cannot communicate effectively due to speech impairments.
Signs Of Human Trafficking
Human trafficking can affect people of all ages, including those with special needs or disabilities. This includes the elderly, children, and people suffering from mental illnesses.
Healthcare professionals are critical in identifying and treating victims of human trafficking since they are frequently the first point of contact for these people who may have physical or mental health issues. They should be aware of the following signs of human trafficking:
Symptoms of sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
Malnutrition and a lack of proper hygiene
Lack of understanding of local laws and rights as an immigrant
Communication difficulties due to limited English proficiency, disability, or mental health issues
Patients who appear fearful or guarded
People who are unable to provide basic personal information
Patients with unexplained injuries or scars, such as cigarette burns or rope burns on the wrists
Violence, Torture, And Manipulation In Human Trafficking
Human trafficking, also known as modern-day slavery, is a form of exploitation in which people are coerced into labor against their will. It involves recruiting or transporting people into exploitative situations using force, fraud, or coercion through abduction, blackmail, debt bondage, false promises about job opportunities abroad, and fraudulent documentation.
Traffickers use violence, torture, and manipulation to keep their victims under their control. They could be forced to engage in prostitution or other forms of sexual exploitation. Victims are compelled to work long hours under poor conditions for little pay and may even be threatened with death if they attempt to flee or seek help from others.
The Medical Needs Of Human Trafficking Victims
Human trafficking victims with special needs may have difficulty communicating with healthcare providers. Furthermore, some people with cognitive or intellectual disabilities do not understand medical terminology or the questions that doctors ask them. Some of the medical care essential in addressing the physical and mental effects of human trafficking are as follows:
Trauma-informed care
. Many victims of human trafficking have suffered trauma, which can have a negative impact on their physical and mental health. Providing the best possible care requires understanding these issues, how they manifest in patients, and what types of treatment may be beneficial.
Mental health support
. Victims of human trafficking frequently suffer from depression and anxiety due to their exploitation. This can make it difficult for them to obtain social services or other types of assistance that may be available in your community.
Physical health support
. Victims of human trafficking may also require medical attention for physical injuries sustained while being exploited, such as broken bones from being beaten. Traffickers frequently deny medical care to their victims to avoid detection by authorities. If a patient seeks treatment at a hospital but does not want anyone else to know the reason, it could indicate that something more serious than an accident occurred.
Working as a team within your organization will help you provide the best possible care for your human trafficking victims with special needs.
How to Approach Human Trafficking Victims With Special Needs
Approach human trafficking victims with special needs by asking open-ended questions and listening to their responses. You should ask a few questions about their family, friends, and community, as well as their feelings and future plans. Ask these questions in a way that shows you're paying attention without judging or assuming anything about their responses based on stereotypes about mental illness or disability status.
Healthcare providers should always remember that many people with disabilities are more vulnerable to exploitation since they are less likely to be able to communicate their needs. Furthermore, people with disabilities may be abused or neglected by caregivers in hospitals or other healthcare settings.
Human trafficking victims with special needs may struggle to communicate verbally, but they must still express themselves. Communication is essential in assisting victims with special needs. It is a two-way street: you must not only listen attentively, but you must also respond appropriately for someone else to feel heard. Nonverbal cues not only provide additional information about how a person is feeling, but they also aid in the establishment of trust between you and your special needs patients.
Final Thoughts
Human trafficking is a serious problem that affects people of all backgrounds. Healthcare professionals can play an important role in identifying victims and assisting them in receiving the necessary care. We can help ensure that human trafficking victims with special needs feel safe enough to tell us about their experiences through effective communication. This will allow us to help them recover from exploitation while protecting other vulnerable populations from becoming victims.