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Human Trafficking

  • Human Trafficking CME Meets Medical License Requirements

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    Do you know that according to the latest data available, about 79,000 minors and young people are victims of sex trafficking in Texas at any given time? Are you aware that more than 230,000 people are victims of labor trafficking in Texas? How much do you know about human trafficking?

    Get all the facts. Help curb human trafficking.Program FREE for Members

  • Victims of Human Trafficking

    Scaffolding190Physicians and their clinical teams are in a unique position to intervene in one of the most insidious and seemingly invisible public health challenges: human trafficking. This form of slavery includes both labor and sex trafficking, and may involve people of any age, gender, race/ethnicity, nationality, immigration status, or sexual orientation.

    Victims and survivors of human trafficking may be seen at local clinics, emergency departments, or other medical settings and the health care team’s actions at that moment can make a life-saving difference.  This webpage is meant to provide physicians with a variety of resources to inform and support planning for that critical response.

  • Training and Education Resources

    The Texas Health and Human Services Commission maintains the Texas Human Trafficking Resource Center with local, state, and national resources to identify and help people affected by human trafficking. The website includes the approved list of courses that meet the licensing requirements for health care practitioners in Texas.

    BE THE ONE from the Texas attorney general is an educational campaign to highlight everyone’s role in the prevention, recognition, and reporting of human trafficking.

  • Resources for Practices and Clinics

    Administration for Children and Families, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services

    Look Beneath the Surface is a campaign designed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to raise awareness of human trafficking. Free downloadable and customizable outreach materials for health care settings are available here.

    Texas Hospital Licensing and Regulation –  Texas law requiring human trafficking signage

    Effective on September 1, 2017, all hospitals licensed under Health & Safety Code 241, and abortion facilities, including ambulatory surgical centers that perform abortions, must post human trafficking signage. Facilities are required to post separate signs in English, Spanish and any other language prevalent in the community. A facility must only display a separate sign in an additional language if it is in a political subdivision required to provide election materials in a language other than English or Spanish. Signs must be at least 8½ by 11 inches in size, with the notice covering at least four-fifths of the sign, and displayed in a conspicuous manner clearly visible to the public and employees. Sample signs have been created for your convenience, but facilities may create their own sign as long as it complies with the law. For more information, contact: Health Facility Licensing program at (512) 834-6648 or email: healthfacilitylicensing[at]hhsc[dot]state[dot]tx[dot]us

    Sample signs: in English: Human Trafficking

    Sign In Spanish: Human Trafficking Sign in Spanish

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  • National Human Trafficking Hotline

    Call (888) 373-7888 (TTY: 711)

    Search the Referral Directory for social and legal services for victims and survivors of human trafficking, and connect with training and volunteer opportunities in your area.

    Downloadable resources here include printable flyers in 20 languages and pocket cards in English and Spanish that include the toll-free number and website of the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

    Visit the hotline’s collection of current resources, including training presentations, videos, and guides.

     

  • Report Abuse — Texas Department of Family and Protective Services

    Call the Texas Abuse Hotline toll-free 24 hours a day, seven days a week, nationwide, or report with secure the website and get a response within 24 hours.

    By phone: (800) 252-5400

    Online: www.txabusehotline.org

     

  • Identifying Human Trafficking in Texas: What Physicians Need to Know

    For more than six decades, El Paso infectious disease specialist Gilbert Handal, MD, has advocated for victims of human trafficking across Texas. In 2003, he opened the Advocacy Center for Children of El Paso with the hope of providing aid to displaced and trafficked children – a goal he formed after witnessing trafficking occur close to his own practice.

    Read the Full Story

     

  • Taking Action on Policies to Help Victims

    Texas Doctors Seek to Help Trafficking Victims, Protect New Mothers