Human trafficking in South Carolina is more common than one might think.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division reported opening 357 human trafficking cases with around 500 potential victims in 2023. Greenville County had the second-highest number of human trafficking cases with 34 cases.
“We know here in the Upstate, we’re in a major human-trafficking corridor, planted between Atlanta and Charlotte,” said Joseph Mazzawi, vice president of mission at Bon Secours St. Francis Health System.
The South Carolina Human Trafficking Task Force defines human trafficking as a situation in which force, fraud or coercion is used to make an individual perform commercial sexual acts or labor services.
Health care systems can play an important role in identifying and helping human trafficking victims. Mazzawi said statistics show around 88% of victims reported accessing health care services while being trafficked.
Bon Secours St. Francis held its sixth annual Human Trafficking Seminar on Aug. 23 to raise awareness and offer a call to action. The event provided an opportunity for attendees to hear from human-trafficking experts including:
- Monique Garvin, deputy director of the S.C. Human Trafficking Task Force and the Violence Against Women Act programs
- Ronald Chambers, program director for Dignity Health Methodist Family Medicine Residency Program in California
- Jennifer Cox, system director of the Medical Safe Haven program at CommonSpirit Health
- Suleman Masood, subject-matter expert and a council member of the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking
- Kristi Wells, co-founder and CEO of Safe House Project, a nonprofit combatting trafficking in the United States
The speakers provided insight into the current state of human trafficking in South Carolina, how to create medical safe havens, what services to offer for survivors and the importance of collaboration.
Attendees included health care workers, first responders, law enforcement, social-service workers and more. Mazzawi said the event provided a networking opportunity to build relationships with community members that will strengthen the available resources for human trafficking victims.
Health care and human trafficking cases in South Carolina
To identify victims of human trafficking, healthcare providers must be educated on what to look out for. However, there is a lack of training on this topic in the health care field.
Chambers shared results from a survey he conducted in 2017 that showed a significant knowledge gap among family-medicine program directors. When asked if their residency programs provided structured education and training on human trafficking, only nine programs out of 62 responded yes.
Mazzawi said Bon Secours St. Francis offers online training modules that providers are required to take to identify the signs of human trafficking.
“It’s really about helping people identify the signs and what to do once they identify someone that’s being trafficked – reaching out to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, knowing the different resources in our community, different nonprofits,” Mazzawi said.
Chambers also said that one of the first things health care systems should have is systemwide protocols for human trafficking situations. Some examples of how providers should be directed to respond to a potential human-trafficking situation include:
- Get the patients alone
- Inform the patient about mandatory reporting laws and confidentiality
- Ask the patient if they want intervention or the police to be involved
- Follow protocols for intervention
For those who are a victim of human trafficking or suspect they have come in contact with someone being trafficked, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888.
Data
Human trafficking cases opened in 2023 by South Carolina region:
- 112 – Upstate
- 95 – Midlands
- 93 – Low Country
- 58 – Pee Dee
Source: South Carolina Law Enforcement Division
Human Trafficking indicators for health care professionals
Some of the general indicators for human trafficking include a patient that:
- Provides a scripted or inconsistent history
- Is unwilling or hesitant to answer questions about an injury or illness
- Is accompanied by a controlling individual who speaks for the patient or will not leave the patient’s side
- Demonstrates concerns about pleasing a family member or romantic partner
- Expresses concern for family members’ safety
- Demonstrates fearful, anxious or nervous behavior or avoids eye contact
- Is unable to provide his/her address
- Is not in possession of his/her ID, documents, money or insurance card
- Is not being paid or wages are being withheld
Source: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Debunking misconceptions
- Human trafficking does not require a person to move, travel or be transported across state or national borders.
- Human trafficking does not require kidnapping or physical force. It often involves psychological manipulation or threats.
- Traffickers are not always strangers. They can be romantic partners or family members.
- Victims do not always readily accept or attempt to seek help.
- Victims are not always undocumented foreign nationals.
Source: South Carolina Human Trafficking Task Force
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