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Context: Human trafficking is an increasingly well-recognized human rights violation that is estimated to involve more than 2 million victims worldwide each year. The health consequences of this issue bring victims into contact with health systems and healthcare providers, thus providing the potential for identification and intervention. A robust healthcare response, however, requires a healthcare workforce that is aware of the health impact of this issue; educated about how to identify and treat affected individuals in a compassionate, culturally aware, and trauma-informed manner; and trained about how to collaborate efficiently with law enforcement, case management, and advocacy partners. This article describes existing educational offerings about human trafficking designed for a healthcare audience and makes recommendations for further curriculum development. Evidence acquisition: A keyword search and structured analysis of peer-reviewed and gray literature, conducted in 2011 and 2012, yielded 27 items that provide basic guidance to health professionals on human trafficking. Evidence synthesis: The 27 resources differed substantially in format, length, scope, and intended audience. Topic areas covered by these resources included trafficking definitions and scope, health consequences, victim identification, appropriate treatment, referral to services, legal issues, and security. None of the educational resources has been rigorously evaluated. Conclusions: There is a clear need to develop, implement, and evaluate high-quality education and training programs that focus on human trafficking for healthcare providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

National experts discuss challenges and strategies for improving health care's response to domestic violence and moving toward evidence-based health care for domestic violence. Comments address ethical and legal issues, system incentives, public health and prevention, the need for evidence-based care, designing an effective research agenda, and outcome measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The public health approach has advanced our understanding of family violence and our capacity to develop, implement, and disseminate successful intervention and prevention strategies. To ensure successful public health responses to family violence, emerging public health professionals must be trained to become competent in the field. Boston University School of Public Health has developed a course to help build a critical mass of practitioners. This article describes the content and initial experience with the course, the use of teaching assistants as partners in the educational process, and recommendations for future initiatives in training public health and other health professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Looks at domestic violence in the United States and the role of physicians in primary prevention, early intervention and follow-up care during and after an episode of domestic violence. Risk factors and clinical characteristics of domestic violence; Obstacles victims face in approaching physicians; Clinical evaluation, intervention and care for victims of domestic violence.

Reports on the presentations of the first national scientific and educational meeting dedicated to domestic violence in the U.S. Examination of the strategies to improve health care response to violence; Acknowledgement of the need for culturally competent health care research related to children; Importance of public health professionals in the prevention-focused approach to family violence.

The author reflects on the significance of addressing domestic violence on medical care in the U.S. She noted that routine inquiry on domestic violence in every clinical setting is well appreciated and may be beneficial to the physician-patient relationship. She raised the importance for medical professionals to be responsible in inquiring about domestic violence and the failure to teach the students to do the same.

Sex trafficking, trafficking for the purpose of forced sexual exploitation, is a widespread form of human trafficking that occurs in all regions of the world, affects mostly women and girls, and has far-reaching health implications. Studies suggest that up to 50 % of sex trafficking victims in the USA seek medical attention while in their trafficking situation, yet it is unclear how the healthcare system responds to the needs of victims of sex trafficking. To understand the intersection of sex trafficking and public health, we performed in-depth qualitative interviews among 277 antitrafficking stakeholders across eight metropolitan areas in five countries to examine the local context of sex trafficking. We sought to gain a new perspective on this form of gender-based violence from those who have a unique vantage point and intimate knowledge of push-and-pull factors, victim health needs, current available resources and practices in the health system, and barriers to care. Through comparative analysis across these contexts, we found that multiple sociocultural and economic factors facilitate sex trafficking, including child sexual abuse, the objectification of women and girls, and lack of income. Although there are numerous physical and psychological health problems associated with sex trafficking, health services for victims are patchy and poorly coordinated, particularly in the realm of mental health. Various factors function as barriers to a greater health response, including low awareness of sex trafficking and attitudinal biases among health workers. A more comprehensive and coordinated health system response to sex trafficking may help alleviate its devastating effects on vulnerable women and girls. There are numerous opportunities for local health systems to engage in antitrafficking efforts while partnering across sectors with relevant stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]