Abstract
Human trafficking is increasingly recognized as a significant global public health issue. Human trafficking (HT) exists in all nations, including Canada, and is estimated to impact 25 million people globally. HT is a crime that is not always visible. It is associated with a myriad of deleterious health outcomes arising from adverse living and working conditions, and the physical, sexual, and/or psychological violence often accompanying it. Human trafficking also disproportionately affects people living under vulnerable circumstances, particularly those with intersecting vulnerabilities. Public health can advance health equity for trafficked persons and add value to existing anti-trafficking (AT) efforts. Among its many contributions, public health can bring its expertise in health promotion and surveillance. While efforts to incorporate a public health perspective are already underway in at least the United States and the United Kingdom, the nexus of public health and AT is still nascent and requires further development. A public health approach to trafficking focused on intervening on the upstream drivers of well-being can add value to the extant counter-trafficking paradigm. This commentary is intended to catalyze discussion in Canada and elsewhere as to what public health can contribute to this emergent field.
Résumé
Le trafic d’êtres humains (TEH) est de plus en plus reconnu comme un grave problème de santé publique dans le monde. Il est présent dans tous les pays, y compris au Canada, et toucherait 25 millions de personnes selon les estimations. Le TEH est un crime qui n’est pas toujours visible. Il est associé à d’innombrables résultats cliniques délétères découlant de mauvaises conditions de vie et de travail et de la violence physique, sexuelle et/ou psychologique qui l’accompagne souvent. Le trafic d’êtres humains touche aussi démesurément les personnes en situation de vulnérabilité, surtout celles ayant des vulnérabilités croisées. La santé publique peut favoriser l’équité en santé chez les victimes et ajouter de la valeur aux efforts existants de lutte contre ce fléau. Elle peut, entre autres, contribuer son savoir-faire en promotion et en surveillance de la santé. Une démarche d’intégration d’une perspective de santé publique est déjà entamée, du moins aux États-Unis et au Royaume-Uni, mais la jonction entre la santé publique et la lutte contre la traite est encore naissante et doit être développée. Une démarche de santé publique à l’égard du trafic d’êtres humains qui intervienne sur les facteurs favorisant le bien-être en amont pourrait ajouter de la valeur au paradigme existant de la lutte contre la traite. Notre commentaire se veut un moyen de susciter un débat au Canada et ailleurs dans le monde sur ce que la santé publique peut apporter à ce domaine en émergence.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank Dr. Denise Gastaldo, with the Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at University of Toronto for her support, input, and editorial skills with the first draft of this manuscript; Dr. Phuong T. Nguyen with the Anti-Human Trafficking Program at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX; Dr. Arduizur Carli Ritchie-Zavaleta of the University of New England; and Dr. Makini Chisolm-Straker with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.
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All authors contributed to the conception and design of the paper. Material preparation was performed by FR, EDR, and EJ. The first draft of the manuscript was written by FR.
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Recknor, F., Di Ruggiero, E. & Jensen, E. Addressing human trafficking as a public health issue. Can J Public Health 113, 607–610 (2022). https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-022-00642-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-022-00642-8