Trafficking Case 4

You are also obligated to make a report to the Child Abuse Hotline in this situation. Before calling, tell the patient that you are calling CPS in order to gather resources and ensure a safe exit.

Calling law enforcement may be premature for this traumatized patient. CPS may notify law enforcement. However, you, as the physician, must advocate for the patient and assess whether she would like to speak with law enforcement. Also, ensure that the law enforcement officer has expertise in caring for trafficking victims so as not to further traumatize the patient.

Disposition will be the most challenging, and therefore, a local resource center might be helpful. Finding an available bed will be a challenge given the lack of availability (see below). Therefore, working with available resources, including CPS, will be critical.

National Survey of Residential Programs for US Victims

• Nationally, a total of 33 residential programs were found to be operational and exclusive to trafficking victims with a total of 682 beds.
• 28 states had no residential programs for victims of sex trafficking and no plans to open any.
• 36% of available beds were exclusive to victims of domestic sex trafficking.
• 75% of available beds in residential programs were designated for minor victims of sex trafficking.
• Of the surveyed programs, there were fewer than 28 beds for male victims of sex trafficking.