In ‘“Have you ever traded sex for money or drugs?” Health care providers’ perspectives on sex trafficking risk assessments in clinics,’ Lara Gerassi and Anna Pederson share their findings about how health care providers made decisions about screening for sex trafficking (ST) among adult patients.1 Table 2 in the article provides strategies for assessment. The authors report that clinicians indicated some confusion about three main factors: (1) how to differentiate between consensual and trafficked commercial sex, (2) questions around balancing safety planning with patient choice, and (3) concern around offering support and inquiry about trafficking in respectful ways. The first of these interrelated concerns points to broader ideological discourse within the human trafficking movement, and the latter two point to the value of protocols and frameworks that create the conditions for trust and empathy. In order for health professionals to provide person-centred care to all patients engaged in commercial sex, we must further understand these confusions, and look to evidence-based approaches.
Hanni Stoklosa and Chris Ash, “It has to be their choice. We need to give them options.” Journal of Health Services Research and Policy, 2021.
Read the full response to learn more about the spectrum of agency, the PEARR tool, and the Full Frame Institute Wellbeing Planning Toolkit.