OPINION: Human trafficking, the ultimate affront on marginalized populations, and an unlikely eye of the storm: The fight in the health care setting

In my two-decade journey within the medical device industry, I’ve been privileged to work in various roles across several cardiovascular technologies, working alongside physicians to serve patients with lifesaving implantable devices. Earlier in my career as a pacemaker clinical specialist, I vividly remember my time in emergency rooms.

The standard of care patients receive today is nothing short of amazing. But there remains an unacceptable gap — perhaps because it’s elusive, as it was to me at the time. It certainly isn’t chest pain protocols. Those are strongly established. If one should rush into 20 various emergency rooms with chest pain, they can expect a near identical, protocolized, and evidence-based response. But modern-day slavery? Not so much.

I remember hearing about human trafficking some time ago from my wife, but I was quick to dismiss it as extremely rare. Turns out I was blind indeed — 21 million people globally are victims of forced labor — labor exploitation, sexual exploitation, or state-imposed forced labor, a $150 billion-dollar industry that exploits the vulnerable.

That’s worth restating. It’s the year 2024 and millions of people around the world are enslaved.

You may have seen some of the efforts by Delta Airlines, Marriott, and others to combat human trafficking in the transportation and hospitality industries, but there is another unlikely and powerful arena to combat this issue: the health care setting. Dr. Hanni Stoklosa, co-founder and chief medical officer at HEAL Trafficking, informs us that human trafficking is undeniably a health care issue. Over 85% of trafficking victims seek medical care while they are being exploited, with over 60% accessing hospitals and emergency rooms. It makes sense. Victims caught in forced labor or sexual exploitation will seek urgent care where they, and their perpetrators, know they can get patched up and sent on their way, and do so under the radar.

And that’s the problem. Most trafficking victims have contact with health professionals, yet most health care professionals often lack the training to recognize and/or respond appropriately. And the wrong response — perhaps abruptly confronting the perpetrator or immediately calling law enforcement – can be even more harmful to victims.

Dr. Stoklosa reminds us with models like intimate partner violence how much “unlearning” is required. As optimally combating this issue is often counterintuitive, Dr. Stoklosa calls for an evidence-based approach. For chest pain and intimate partner violence, we implement evidence-based protocols, but for human trafficking — what are the signs and what protocol? Without an evidence-based approach, sustainable success will not be achieved. Does combating slavery not merit such an effort?

HEAL Trafficking’s mission is to train 1 million health care workers by 2025. To be the change, consider donating to support this movement. If you work in health care, ask your institution about your health care system’s protocols and how you can get involved. For health care and med tech companies, just as Delta championed change in the airline industry, there is an incredible opportunity to affect world change to help end modern slavery in an eye of the storm. Human trafficking is not just a health care issue; it’s a marginalized population issue and a human rights issue.