Throughout Washington and Oregon, our team has had several opportunities to learn more about trafficking in these states and the resources available to survivors. We most recently learned from one of our host’s physician friends, Dr. Deb, on a rest day. She works in Washington as a pediatrician, but frequents countries in Africa and Latin America on medical missions. However, she spends much of her time educating colleagues on the issue of domestic trafficking and trauma-informed practices in medicine. She became involved in the fight against domestic sex trafficking after learning how it can present in a medical setting, and how common the sex trafficking of minors is in the United States. Upon learning the signs, she immediately realized that she had missed a likely case of child sex trafficking a few months earlier; despite the fact that this young girl was still attending school, and had even made it to her annual check-up at the pediatrician, she was likely being trafficked by her boyfriend.
This brings me to an important fact: Up to 88% of trafficking victims access healthcare services at some point while being trafficked (Polaris Project).
This means that medical personnel play a vital role in recognizing trafficking and providing resources to those currently being trafficked. Thus, they must be educated on how trafficking may present and what to do should they encounter it. However, this is not the case in most hospitals and medical/nursing/PA schools. Dr. Deb has not only spent years of her career giving educational talks on trafficking and trauma to her colleagues, but has also fought for trafficking education on an institutional level by pushing for required hospital-wide courses in Seattle. She emphasized the importance of not just learning the signs, but also knowing the anti-trafficking organizations that are local and therefore more likely to help victims within a short period of time.
What good is recognizing trafficking if you don’t know what to do about it?
This reminded me of our conversation with Safety Compass, the nonprofit in Oregon that one of our community grants went to; they highlighted the imperative role that local organizations play in connecting victims to help quickly, whereas large, national organizations serve different needs. The resources for trafficking survivors certainly exist, but it’s a matter of getting victims connected within the short time period that it’s safe for them to leave the life.
Secondly, I was reminded of one of the reasons I decided to do pedal— to be able to educate myself, while simultaneously advocating for the cause, so that I could be better prepared for a career in the medical field.
Like Dr. Deb, I hope that rather than missing the signs, I am able to lead those in need to love and support.
Although I hope to work in the medical field as a physician assistant, our conversation with Dr. Deb (and everyone else we’ve learned from) highlighted the fact that anyone in any career path can find a way to fight sex trafficking. No matter what your day job is, you can learn more about trafficking and the resources available in your area!
