Human trafficking is MORE than just a crime—it's a public health crisis. It's complex, multidimensional, and directly impacts health at an individual and population level. It's something that feeds into itself; poor health can make you vulnerable to trafficking, trafficking causes poor health, and trafficking worsens the health of marginalized communities. Let's break it down:
What Is Public Health?
Public health is the science of protecting and improving the health of communities and their people. Unlike doctors and nurses, who care for individual patients, public health experts focus on the 3 Ps:
Preventing illness, injuries, or death,
Protecting vulnerable or marginalized populations,
Promoting actions, choices, and legislation that improve community health and safety.
Public health programs work to make communities healthier by improving access to food, housing, education, and healthcare. By addressing systemic barriers, the public health approach lifts entire communities and, in turn, improves their health outcomes.
When applied to human trafficking, public health shifts the focus from just criminal justice, like arresting buyers and traffickers, to preventing exploitation, reducing risks, and providing care for survivors. This approach helps address the root causes of trafficking, supports those who have been harmed, and strengthens communities against future exploitation.
Why Certain People Are More Vulnerable to Trafficking.
While trafficking can and has happened to people from all walks of life, not everyone is equally at risk of being trafficked. Certain conditions, called social determinants of health, make some people more vulnerable. These factors in a person's life shape their overall health, such as income, education, housing, and access to healthcare.
Poverty is one of the most significant risk factors. People struggling to meet their basic needs are preyed upon by traffickers and buyers, whether through unsafe working conditions or exploitation in the commercial sex trade. Lack of education also increases vulnerability. Without education, people may not know their rights, how to spot risky situations, or that they've even been trafficked in the first place. Vulnerable populations, including people of color, runways and foster children, refugees, LGBTQ+, undocumented individuals, and those dealing with addiction, face even greater risks because they often lack legal protections, face discrimination, and have fewer resources to turn to for help.
How Human Trafficking Affects Individual Health.
Human trafficking doesn't just affect the lives of individuals—it leaves lasting scars that can affect families, communities, and even whole societies. The health consequences of trafficking, from disease to injuries, haunts victims for the rest of their lives. Trafficking takes many forms, but our two areas of focus are labor trafficking and sex trafficking.
Labor Trafficking:
In labor trafficking, victims can be forced to work in dangerous conditions, often under threat or through deceit. Many of these individuals work in industries such as agriculture, construction, or domestic labor – industries demanding high levels of physical activity with little need for specialized knowledge. The working hours are often long and exhausting, with hazardous working conditions, on top of any violence used by traffickers to maintain control.
As the UN Special Rapporteur Report explains, "labor trafficking survivors frequently experience chronic pain, injuries from unsafe working conditions, and extreme fatigue due to long hours and lack of rest." In many cases, trafficked individuals face physical abuse, sleep deprivation, and malnutrition – all as tools for maintaining control over their victims.
The health consequences for these workers are severe and long-lasting. Many of these individuals develop musculoskeletal disorders, respiratory problems from exposure to unsafe chemicals, and infections due to unsanitary living and working conditions. Victims of labor trafficking are also highly vulnerable to mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as they are frequently isolated from their support systems and communities and unable to turn to resources for help.
Sex Trafficking:
According to the UN, "sex trafficking victims suffer a high rate of physical and sexual assault, which can lead to chronic health issues, including pelvic pain, infections, and long-term reproductive health problems." In a U.S. Study, as adults in prostitution:
82% had been physically assaulted,
83% had been threatened with a weapon,
& 68% had been raped.
Hauntingly, it's estimated that prostituted women are 60 to 100 times more likely to be murdered than their non-prostituted counterparts. Mortality rates for women in prostitution are 40 to 50 times the national average.
Beyond the physical scars, the mental health consequences of the sex trade are everlasting and horrifying. A study on the mental health effects of sex trafficking shows that:
55% of sex trafficking victims experience depression,
48% experience anxiety,
& 77% show signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Survivors of prostitution and sex trafficking report high rates of psychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, eating disorders, sexual dysfunction, substance use, suicidal ideation or attempts, self-harm, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and dissociative disorders. These mental health challenges are deeply rooted in the trauma caused by their experiences, and they often persist long after individuals escape their traffickers.
How Human Trafficking Affects Community Health.
The harm doesn't stop with individuals; Trafficking affects the health of entire communities. Local healthcare systems face overwhelming needs for medical and psychological care for victims, whether it be physical injuries, mental health struggles, or treatment of infectious diseases.
Public health systems are further disrupted when victims do not seek help due to fear of authorities or distrust in healthcare providers, leaving health problems unreported and untreated until they manifest into an emergency or ignored altogether, which can lead to the spread of diseases, like STIs or tuberculosis, and further health crises within communities.
Beyond healthcare, human trafficking also undermines the economic stability of communities. Trafficked individuals are frequently forced to work in exploitative conditions for little or no pay, trapping them in poverty and preventing them from contributing economically. This cycle of exploitation reduces resources for public health initiatives, hinders community development, and deters investment in public services.
Perhaps the most damaging to communities, the widespread presence of trafficking in an area increases the vulnerability of local populations. When trafficking becomes normalized, it fosters an environment where exploitation is overlooked or accepted. This raises the risk of trafficking for everyone, but especially for vulnerable populations like individuals experiencing poverty, those battling addiction, and children.
Recognizing human trafficking as a public health issue helps us see how deeply it affects both individuals and the communities they're a part of. All of this shows us why a new approach is needed to address this crisis.
A Solution: How Public Health Approaches Can Combat Trafficking.
A public health approach to human trafficking focuses on prevention, healing, and systemic change. It starts with educating communities about trafficking risks and providing resources to help people address their underlying vulnerabilities. Programs that address the social determinants of health can reduce vulnerability and stop trafficking before it starts.
When we focus only on the criminal aspects, we miss the more profound, systemic issues that allow trafficking to continue. Viewing trafficking as a health issue helps us understand how it affects individuals and entire communities. This framework gives us better tools to prevent trafficking and care for survivors. To truly make a difference, we must shift our perspective and treat human trafficking as the public health crisis it is.
Right here in Buffalo, New York, we have the Young Women's Empowerment Academy and the FreeTHEM Center to prevent trafficking from happening in the lives of at-risk women and girls. Our space is constantly filled with group therapies, job and entrepreneurship training, financial literacy workshops, healthcare pop-ups, STEAM opportunities, and more. By empowering those at risk, we work to end the cycle of exploitation before it ever happens. Read more here.
What You Can Do to Help.
You don't need to be a policymaker or a healthcare worker to make a difference. Everyone has a role to play in the fight against human trafficking. Learn about trafficking and share what you know with others to help spread awareness. Support local organizations that work with survivors by donating or volunteering your time. Advocate for laws and policies that protect vulnerable people and improve access to healthcare and education, like the Equality Model.
Small actions add up. By educating ourselves, supporting Overcomers, and pushing for systemic change, we all create a world where human trafficking is no longer a threat to health and safety.
Sources
U.S. Department of State. Trafficking in Persons Report.
Journal of Family Strengths, Volume 18 (2018).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2018).
National Institute for Health.
Prostitution, violence, and post-traumatic stress disorder; M Farley, H Barkan.
Prostitution and Trafficking in Nine Countries: An Update on Violence and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (Farley, Cotton, Lynn, Zumbeck, Spiwak, Reyes, Alvarez, Sezgin).
Ross C, Farley M, Schwartz H. "Dissociation among women in prostitution," Journal of Trauma Practice, 2008.
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