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Human Trafficking in Areas of Conflict: Health Care Professionals’ Duty to Act

Human Trafficking in Areas of Conflict: Health Care Professionals’ Duty to Act
Type
Article (issue/policy brief, journal, blog, etc.)
Country
Global
Region
Global
Organization
AMA Journal of Ethics
Year
2017
Publication Series
Human Trafficking and Medicine: Volume 19, Number 1: 1-131
Authors
Christina Bloem Rikki, M. Chisolm-Straker, Rikki E. Morris

Given the significant global burden of human trafficking, the ability of clinicians to identify and provide treatment for trafficked persons is critical. Particularly in conflict settings, health care facilities often serve as the first and sometimes only point of contact for trafficked persons. As such, medical practitioners have a unique opportunity and an ethical imperative to intervene, even in nonclinical roles. With proper training, medical practitioners can assist trafficked persons by documenting human trafficking cases, thereby placing pressure on key stakeholders to enforce legal protections, and by providing adequate services to those trafficked.