Human Trafficking Survivors Flashcards
Vulnerability factors:
- War, crisis, political or civil unrest, armed conflict, natural disaster (economic hardships, creating more opportunities for organized crime and weakening law enforcement)
- Subordination of women which views women and girls as economic birdens
- Poverty
- Lack of employment opportunities
- Increase in population
- Mistreatment of women and children
- Runaway child
- Homeless youth
- Children and youth in foster care
Physical comon health problems among the survivors:
- Psychological problems (depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, PTSD, addiction)
- Sexually transmitted diseases
- Vaginal and rectal trauma
- Unintended pregnancies
- Infertility
- Urinary tract infections
- Bald patches
- Lacerations
- Bruises
- Scars
- Burn
- Bite marks
- Chronic bakc pain, muscle strains and sprains
- Dehydratation, malnutrition, dental and visual problem
- Infectious disease like TB
How to recognize that someone is being trafficked?
- The person doesn’t speak English and someone else is speaking for her or him.
- The person speaks some English, but someone else is speaking for her or him.
- The person doesn’t seem to know where she or he is.
- The person doesn’t have any identification or travel documents, or someone else is holding the documents.
- The person has no spending money
- The person appears to be under the control and supervision of someone who never leaves the person alone.
- The are signs of malnutrition, dehydration, drug use or addiction, poor general health, or poor personal hygiene.
- There are signs of physical abuse or neglect, such as scars, bruises, burns, unusual bald patches, tattoos that raise suspicion (eg. Property of _ or gang-like symbols) or untreated medical problems.
- The person’s story about what she or he is doing in the country or on the job doesn’t make sense.
- The person lives with an employer or at the place of business and can’t give you an address.
- Those who brought the person in for tx are resistant to letting you speak with the person alone.
How to intervene when nurses suspect that someone might be a victim of human trafficking:
(Important to realize that asking the person directly whether she or he is a trafficking victim usually isn’t helpfull because many do not know that trafficking victim is illegal and some even blame themselves. Many do not trust strangers.)
- If the suspected victim is under the age of 18, the case must be reported as suspected child abuse.
- Talk to the person alone, where no one else can overhear the conversation
- Said: that for assessment, the hospital policy require me to question everyone individually.
- If the person doesn’t speak English a translator need to be brought in and ENSURE that the translator has no connection to the suspected traffickers.
- Need to be patient
Some questions nurses might ask to the suspected victim of trafficking:
- Where are you from?
- What brings you to the Montreal?
- How did you get here?
- What type of work do you do? Do you have a set schedule?
- Are you paid for your work? How much do you earn?
- Have you been threatnened with violence or harm if you decide you want to leave your job?
- Do you have identification (ID) on you? If not, why not? Who has your ID or other documents?
- Do you have to ask permission to eat, sleep, go to the bathroom, or talk with others?
- Are you being forced to do what you’re doing?
- Are you allowed to go out on your own?
- Where and with whom do you live? Are there locks on the doors and windows so that you can’t get out?
Canadian resources available to victims:
- Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) can help protect victims of trafficking by securing their immigration status with a special temporary resident permit (TRP). A TRP provides legal immigration status in Canada to potential victims and may be issued for up to 180 days. Depending on the person’s situation, TRPs can be reissued at the end of the 180 day period. Victims of trafficking who receive a TRP are eligible for health-care benefits and trauma counselling, and may also apply for a work permit. In Canada, victims of trafficking are not required to testify against their trafficker to gain temporary or permanent resident status. There is no fee for an initial TRP or a work permit for victims of trafficking.
- Canada has laws to protect victims against intimidation or retaliation if they report these criminal offences or testify against their trafficker. It is an offence to intimidate a justice system participant (a victim or witness) and is punishable by a maximum of 14 years imprisonment.
- Canadian Crime Stoppers Association National Tipline (1-800-222-8477)
How is the work of Les Survivantes related to Harm Reduction?
Most of those women will remain in the sex industry. Need to tackel the issues withh harm reduction approach. Remember that we are here to assisting, supporting and facillitating those who want to leave and be helped. For those who don’t want, provide the ressources they need but not push them to leave. Help them build a CV, to find employement, housing. POLICE do not CRIMINALIZE the victim but instead reducing the impact by working with them to understand and tackling the trafficker
Ways used by traffickers to identify victims and keep them under their control:
- Pimp will call themselves artists, rappers or music labels and will make decent music videos and have a lot of money. (they will use the money cash and create account with the victims names and spend the money–>condo, cars)
- The victims will be in debt and usually go bankrupt when leaving the sex industry (which prevent them from leaving their pimp)
- Pimp will search on different platforms on social media (instagram, facebook, twitter…) and will like and comment on 100 girl’s profiles
- At least 3-4 of those girls will write back and making them easy target.
- Pimp will aim certain profiles, seek girls who have insecurities and like the attention (mostly minors)
- Will invite a girl to a party and then secually assault her while filming it. They will use it to treatening them to show the video to their parents/friends, to all the social media.
- Undercover pimps will often make sure that the victims witness a crime that they are doing used to intimate the victim (so she do not leave)
- Pimp will create chaos with friends and family members, starting and encouraging conflicts and encourage isolation (least support systems) or bringing the girl to another provinces where she do not have friends or family.
- Claim that girls are part of a “larger plan”, that they will only be in the industry for a certain amount of time to reach a certain goal (pay off debt, buy a condo, etc.)
Ways used by traffickers to identify victims and keep them under their control:
- Pimp will call themselves artists, rappers or music labels and will make decent music videos and have a lot of money. (they will use the money cash and create account with the victims names and spend the money–>condo, cars)
- The victims will be in debt and usually go bankrupt when leaving the sex industry (which prevent them from leaving their pimp)
- Pimp will search on different platforms on social media (instagram, facebook, twitter…) and will like and comment on 100 girl’s profiles
- At least 3-4 of those girls will write back and making them easy target.
- Pimp will aim certain profiles, seek girls who have insecurities and like the attention (mostly minors)
- Will invite a girl to a party and then secually assault her while filming it. They will use it to treatening them to show the video to their parents/friends, to all the social media.
- Undercover pimps will often make sure that the victims witness a crime that they are doing used to intimate the victim (so she do not leave)
- Pimp will create chaos with friends and family members, starting and encouraging conflicts and encourage isolation (least support systems) or bringing the girl to another provinces where she do not have friends or family.
- Claim that girls are part of a “larger plan”, that they will only be in the industry for a certain amount of time to reach a certain goal (pay off debt, buy a condo, etc.)
- Will use the “exit fees” of “25Gs” or “5Gs” but never able to attaint it (everytime she do something “wrong” it is restarted again.
- Will take their medicare card and others identity documents so the girl would not be identified.
Victims profiles:
A) the “Submissives”: Generally minors, having conflict with families, low self-esteem, young and naive. Pimp will seduce and compliment them, will answer quickly to “likes” and comments on their pictures. Most common profile “easy target”
B) the “Adventurous”: Generally minors, conflic with families, but high self-esteem. Usually come from good backgrounds, doing well at school.
C) the “Independent”: Generally older, drug dependence, grud traffickers will sell drugs to clients, force them into prostitution to pay off the debt of the addiction.
D) the “Sexual Slaves”: Generally older, usually abused at younger age causing desensitization. Dissociate their body’s actions from their mind as a coping mechanisms. Drug dependence also.
The cycle: Engagement in the process of prostitution steps:
o Initial contacts o Introduction to benefits o Engaged o Honeymoon o Crisis situation (Police often become involved after this stage and attempt to break the cycle) o Personal reflection o Distancing o Returning to the environment
What to do if as nurses you have a victim of sex trafficking?
- Call a social worker of Centre Jeuness (if they are minor)
- Call the 911 also and they will direct the case to the sexual-trafficking department of law enforcement.
