NCJ Number
193936
Date Published
2000
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This paper examined female victims of trafficking and recommendations to health care workers in the prevention of HIV/STD for those sexually exploited trafficking victims.
Abstract
Presented at the 2000 Conference in Malmo on joint efforts to fight AIDS, this paper presents the complexity of trafficking in women and young girls and the importance in collaborating with HIV/AIDS experts and health workers in the fight against trafficking and to support the women who fall victim to trafficking. The paper begins by answering some basic questions; what is trafficking, who is trafficked and why, why women do not leave, and how many women are trafficked? The mobile business of trafficking has been for some time the trade of women for prostitution. The trafficking of women has been linked to the developing world with women being trafficked from poor regions to more wealthy ones. Trafficking is seen as a complex phenomenon with trafficking routes changing quickly and adapting to political and economic changes. Because it is difficult to make trafficking safer in terms of HIV/STD, it has become paramount to abolish trafficking. The paper discusses the four phases involved in trafficking in which the situation of the women varied: (1) at the contracting; (2) during transportation; (3) while being held and working; and (4) when returning home. Health care workers are seen as being able to identify the women, provide health care, and help them find support. Trafficking is not only an issue of sexual and reproductive ill health of women and girls but a human rights violation. It has become imperative for the networking of organizations and agencies to prevent trafficking.