Human trafficking and public health

The socioecological framework of public health is a potent approach to understanding, addressing, and preventing human trafficking. This chapter reviews ways in which six areas important to human trafficking can be understood through a public health approach: infectious disease, substance use, incarceration, environmental health, technology, and media. Applying a public health lens to issues of social determinants of health and trauma, including adverse childhood experiences, further links human trafficking-related issues to these six areas and related sectors.

Learning Objectives

At the end of the chapter, readers will be able to:

Understand the way that the socioecological model can be used to conceptualize human trafficking as a public health issue;

Recognize the links between human trafficking and social determinants of health, adverse childhood experiences, and trauma-informed care;

Determine the ways that infectious disease, substance use, and the criminal justice system intersect with human trafficking and health;

Recognize the ways in which environmental issues impact health and human trafficking; and

Understand the role of the media and technology in perpetuating and preventing human trafficking.