All the darkness we don’t see

Trafficking of women and children for sexual exploitation is the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world. This is a public health crisis; as physicians who have direct contact with victims, we have a unique opportunity to intervene. The authors developed a specialty clinic for survivors of...

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Published in:American journal of obstetrics and gynecology 2017-02, Vol.216 (2), p.135.e1-135.e5
Main Authors: Geynisman-Tan, Julia M., MD, Taylor, Jolyn S., MD, Edersheim, Terri, MD, Taubel, Debra, MD
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Cohort Studies
Contraception Behavior - statistics & numerical data
Female
Gynecology
Human Rights
Human Trafficking
Humans
Middle Aged
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Physician's Role
Pregnancy
Pregnancy, Ectopic - epidemiology
Public Health
sex trafficking
Sexually Transmitted Diseases - epidemiology
social justice
Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology
Survivors
underserved care
Wounds and Injuries - epidemiology
Young Adult
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Summary:Trafficking of women and children for sexual exploitation is the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world. This is a public health crisis; as physicians who have direct contact with victims, we have a unique opportunity to intervene. The authors developed a specialty clinic for survivors of sex trafficking in 2013 at an academic medical center in New York City. Twenty of the 24 women seen in the Survivor Clinic saw a physician while being trafficked. Sex trafficking violates basic human rights, which include the rights to bodily integrity, dignity, health, and freedom from violence and torture. The stories of the patients seen in the Survivor Clinic bear witness to the health consequences of commercial sexual exploitation and reinforce the previous literature on the rates of physical and psychologic harms of trafficking. Health consequences of trafficking include traumatic brain injuries, drug addiction, depression, and neglect of chronic health conditions. All physicians, but gynecologists especially, need more education about the prevalence and dynamics of trafficking and how to assess and intervene on behalf of survivors.
ISSN:0002-9378
1097-6868
DOI:10.1016/j.ajog.2016.09.088