A bipartisan effort to combat a serious and widespread problem

 By Sen. Susan M. Collins
(R-Maine)

 Human trafficking is nothing less than modern-day slavery.  Around the world, it is estimated that more than 20 million individuals – most often young women and men – are held against their will and trafficked for sex or labor.

 This horrific crime is not merely a problem in impoverished Third World countries; it is a scourge right here in America.  Across our country, approximately 400,000 minors are victims of trafficking.  Often homeless, these victims are lured into a dangerous and degrading existence by broken promises of a better life or threats of violence.  About 80 percent of the victims are girls and young women.

 Congress has taken important steps to combat human trafficking.  This spring I worked to help pass the Justice for Victims of Human Trafficking Act, bipartisan legislation that provides greater assistance to victims of human trafficking, increased resources to law enforcement and victims’ services organizations, and secures greater punishments for perpetrators of these appalling crimes.

Among my partners in that effort was Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota.  Before joining the Senate in 2013, Sen. Heitkamp was North Dakota’s Attorney General who fought hard and effectively to combat human trafficking in her state.  The fact that senators from Maine and North Dakota – rural states with low crime rates – have teamed up on this crucial issue underscores the fact that no state in America is immune from the evils of human trafficking.

The enhanced resources and assistance to victims and law enforcement in our earlier bill are essential, but more must be done.  That is why Sen. Heitkamp and I have joined forces again to introduce bipartisan legislation to give health care providers – including doctors, nurses, and social workers – training to help identify and protect victims of human trafficking.

Recent studies suggest that nearly one-third of women trafficked in America saw a health care professional while they were still captive to these crimes.  Health providers are often some of the only people victims may see while they are in captivity, but too often providers do not have the knowledge to identify or help them.

Our bill, the Stop, Observe, Ask, and Respond (SOAR) to Health and Wellness Act, will enable health care providers to gain that knowledge.  It would expand on an existing pilot program in five states across the country – including two North Dakota communities — to help provide training to a specific group of health professionals who are more likely to come across potential victims of human trafficking and help make sure the victims get the support they need.

The U.S. Health and Human Services pilot program was launched last September.  In just the two North Dakota communities, nearly 60 health care providers have gained the skills to help identify and protect victims of human trafficking.   Health care professionals in Maine have also launched their own initiatives to address these crimes. St. Joseph Hospital in Bangor has focused on educating and training clinicians and emergency medical providers to recognize the signs of human trafficking among their patients. With the proper tools and training, these clinicians can intervene in human trafficking cases and help stop these atrocities from continuing.

The SOAR Act would build upon these successes and help prepare many more medical professionals to identify, properly treat, and aid victims of human trafficking by:  Engaging Health Care Professionals to Provide Responsive Care: The bill would help guide health care professionals to identify human trafficking victims, empower and refer victims and survivors by helping them communicate with law enforcement or access social and victims’ services, and provide care that is sensitive to the age, gender, or culture of the victim, as well as to circumstance and potential trauma they may have experienced.

Bringing All Sides Together: The bill would collectively engage victims, survivors, advocates as well as federal, state, local or tribal partners by making sure all sides are communicating effectively on collective and flexible training that accommodates the needs of specific communities.

Developing a National Strategy: The bill would work to provide a nationwide protocol for health care training to make sure that medical professionals have the opportunity to access the technical assistance and education they need to prepare for and respond to instances of human trafficking.

Tracking the Progress: The bill would implement required reporting and data on the facilities and providers using the training to combat human trafficking.

Human traffickers prey upon the most vulnerable, often homeless or runaway children. Identification is the first, and frequently missed, step in helping victims and stopping these atrocities.  The bipartisan SOAR Act would bolster the current pilot program by expanding it and greatly increasing the number of our healthcare providers who will have the training to shine a light on some of the darkest stories imaginable and protect victims of these heinous crimes.