In his proclamation on National Women’s Health Week, President Biden encouraged all Americans to join in a “collective effort to improve the health of women and girls and promote health equity for all.” This week, we join our colleagues across the federal government to help advance the health and well-being of women and girls—including those who have experienced or are at risk of experiencing human trafficking.
To improve the health of women and girls, we must improve the conditions in their environments.
As a form of gender-based violence, human trafficking disproportionately impacts women and girls, undermining their safety, health, and well-being. Data from the National Human Trafficking Hotline shows women and girls comprised approximately 68% of individuals in trafficking situations learned about through the hotline in 2019.
Using a public health framework , the Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP) recognizes that social determinates of health , such as employment, access to housing, discrimination, and prior abuse, increase susceptibility to human trafficking. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes (PDF), individuals who experience one form of violence are at higher risk of further violence. Women and girls who are sexually abused are more likely to suffer physical abuse, sexual re-victimization, and/or intimate partner violence later in life. Because 1 in 3 women experience intimate partner and/or domestic violence at some point in their lives, they are at high risk of human trafficking and other forms of abuse. Other also put women and girls at risk of human trafficking. For example, workplace discrimination, including inequitable compensation, can increase poverty and housing instability. Traffickers take advantage of these and other vulnerabilities, such as inaccessible safe and reliable childcare, to exploit women seeking better living conditions.
The impact of traumatic events like human trafficking have an impact on short- and long-term physical and behavioral health. In her Voices of Freedom conversation, Dr. Sharon Cooper describes the health consequences human trafficking, including toxic stress that wears down immunity, contributing to risk of liver disease, chronic renal disease, and other autoimmune and neurological disorders. Other forms of trauma impact the physical, reproductive, and behavioral health of women and girls that can continue across the lifespan.
We all have a role to play in this collective effort.
Our commitment to improving women’s health and well-being must be intertwined with wider efforts to advance gender equity. This work has already begun. Last year, the White House released the National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality (National Strategy), underscoring the urgency to develop and strengthen policies that challenge gender-based violence, including human trafficking. These efforts are centered around providing direct support for women and girls who have experienced human trafficking, such as expanding trauma-informed social services and providing physical and behavioral healthcare and substance dependency treatment to facilitate healing and recovery. The National Strategy also incorporates prevention strategies to address root causes, providing education, employment, and housing opportunities to reduce vulnerability and advance health equity.
Here are some of the strategies that can help strengthen health and well-being for women and girls who are at risk or who have experienced human trafficking.
Provide health education and resources. Prevention and early intervention are key to advancing long-term health and well-being; however, too many women and girls do not have access to the information and resources necessary to safeguard their health. The Office on Women’s Health (OWH) has outlined the steps that build a foundation of health. Educating women on the importance of regular checkups, preventative screenings, and vaccines; being active and eating healthy; paying attention to mental health, including getting enough sleep and managing stress; and practicing safe behaviors can help improve their well-being. Health literacy efforts should include culturally and linguistically appropriate instructions for how to access resources that will help women implement these steps, including information on their eligibility for and access to programs such as Medicaid, including its medical, mental health, and housing benefits, TANF, and SNAP. These efforts should also be tailored to address the unique challenges that can often discourage women and girls from seeking needed health care, including conditions associated with their trafficking experience.
Create safe, trauma-informed health care practices. Women and girls who have experienced human trafficking often experience barriers to receiving care, including shame and stigma or fear that their trauma will be triggered when receiving a physical exam from a doctor or dentist. Health care providers can help alleviate these concerns and create a safe environment for individuals who have experienced trafficking by delivering trauma-informed services. OTIP’s Core Competencies for Human Trafficking Response in Health Care and Behavioral Health Systems outlines the skill sets that health care and behavioral health practitioners should employ when serving patients who have experienced human trafficking. Implementing trauma-informed approaches to care can also benefit staff by helping them prevent vicarious trauma and burnout.
Promote housing and economic mobility. Promoting economic mobility for populations at risk to trafficking involves addressing housing, employment, education, and other barriers. A critical component of prevention, equitable access to employment, compensation, and housing can provide the stability women need to reduce susceptibility to human trafficking. Housing and economic mobility is also a pressing need for those who have left and are attempting to leave human trafficking or other exploitative situations. OTIP’s Housing and Economic Mobility Toolkit provides information and resources to help providers reduce risk factors and encourage sustainable wellbeing.
Develop community partnerships. Comprehensive change requires effort from a network of health care, social services professionals, and other community organizations. No one person or organization can meet the needs of an individual or community. OTIP grant recipients demonstrate community collaborations that address the complex barriers faced by women and girls who have experienced human trafficking. Community partnerships can acknowledge, confront, and dismantle the deep-rooted norms and biases, including misogyny and racism, that sustain human trafficking and other forms of gender-based violence. Partners may include, but are not limited to:
- Anti-trafficking organizations and intimate partner violence service providers
- Employment assistance centers and educational and training entities
- Early childhood and childcare providers, including Head Start
- Community health centers, health care providers, and clinicians
- Mental health agencies and substance use treatment providers
- Public benefit agencies for cash assistance, food stamps, etc.
- Refugee service providers and ethnic community groups
- Continuums of Care, including rapid re-housing and supportive housing programs
- Public housing authorities
- Eviction prevention programs
During Women’s Health Week and beyond, OTIP looks forward to further collaborating with individuals who have experienced trafficking, allies, and federal, state, tribal, and local partners to prevent human trafficking and achieve healthier futures for women and girls.