What is human trafficking? Human trafficking is a modern form of slavery. Victims are subjected to force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of commercial sex or forced labor. Victims are children, teenagers, women and men.

Catholic and other health care organizations and their health care professionals can help victims of human trafficking by being alert to the problem and realizing patients they are treating may be victims.
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January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month

This year's theme is Activate Connections to Prevent Human Trafficking. Human trafficking cannot be prevented by any one individual, community, organization, or government. To improve the lives of those we serve, we must activate connections throughout the systems that impact individual, family, community, and societal health and well-being.

Resources for Healthcare Providers

• Combating Human Trafficking, American Hospital Association. Access the 2024 toolkit, designed to raise awareness on the various types of human trafficking and to provide hospitals and health systems with resources to combat human trafficking in health care settings. Includes videos, graphics and posts in both English and Spanish.
• SOAR to Health and Wellness, Public Health Foundation. Access a free, one-hour training model that provides a quick mental reference for professionals to keep on how to help individuals who may have experienced trafficking. For more educational opportunities, visit SOAR online, a series of CE/CME training modules, designed to educate health care providers, social workers, public health professionals, and behavioral health professionals on how to identify and respond appropriately to individuals who are at risk of or who have experienced trafficking.
• Human Trafficking Response Program, CommonSpirit. Access practical resources and learnings CommonSpirit has developed through national conferences, partnerships and publications. This video presentation highlights CommonSpirit Health's initiative to identify and support victims of violence and human trafficking.

Resources for Communities

• Human Trafficking Prevention Month Toolkit, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This toolkit helps individuals and organizations share information and resources to increase awareness, foster connections, and ultimately strengthen individuals, families, and communities across the United States. The toolkit breaks the month down into focus weeks. Sample social media posts, sample email and newsletter content, and resources are included.

Resources for Catholic Organizations

• January 11: National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, Alliance to End Human Trafficking. Access a Prayer Service and Tool Kit and 2024 Reflection, Prayer Calendar, and Healthcare Resources to End Human Trafficking (English and Spanish).
• Human Trafficking, Migration & Refugee Services, USCCB. Access key statistics, an informational video, common misconceptions, and ways to become involved in the movement to end modern-day slavery.

If you think someone is a victim of human trafficking, call the Trafficking Information and Referral Hotline: (888) 373-7888.