HMN 2025: Spotting subtle signs of prostitution

Responsible citizens across all industries are passionate about joining the fight against human trafficking. But to get the most effective results, you need to know what to look for, where to look, and what to do with the information you see. I have previously written about prevention and prevention of underage prostitution.[i] Recognize coercive relationship control;[ii] Artificial intelligence can even be used to detect human trafficking.[iii] However, developing an improved ability to spot human trafficking activity in public spaces provides much greater opportunities for intervention. The study explains how.

Source: Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay.

Public transportation offers opportunities for intervention

One of the hallmarks of prostitution activity is movement. Unlike domestic servitude or other forms of labor trafficking that involve harboring or confining victims at workplaces, sex traffickers move their victims to meet their needs. This creates numerous opportunities to discover this insidious activity.

Jodi Godfrey and Lisa Staes (2024) examined human trafficking awareness within the transportation industry.[iv] They acknowledge the unique position of transit operators to recognize and report suspicious activity as “frontline community monitors,” but note that training is essential to strengthen the capacity of transit agencies to partner in the fight against human trafficking. I point out. They recognize human trafficking as a “global criminal industry” that victimizes an estimated 25 million people worldwide, and the need to target the most vulnerable populations and establish relationships of control through their weakness, insecurity, force, fraud or coercion. We are aiming for. While acknowledging the success of programs like Truckers Against Trafficking’s Busing on the Lookout, they note that more policies, procedures and reporting guidelines are needed within the transit industry.

Medical Evidence: Silent Evidence of Exploitation

Another way to detect human trafficking exists in the healthcare industry. This is because victims suffer both emotional and physical harm from traffickers and buyers. When they seek medical care on their own or at the direction of their traffickers, physical examinations provide a unique opportunity for health care providers to view victims exclusively. Someone who brings a patient in for treatment but refuses to meet in private is a red flag in itself, as is nervous or obsessive behavior in the waiting room.

Once a provider has personal access to a victim, there are several things to watch out for that could indicate human trafficking activity. In addition to signs of physical abuse, health care providers are already trained to recognize cases of suspected intimate partner violence or child abuse, and trafficking victims show some similarities in medical and emotional presentations.

Murnan, Aaron W. et al. (2024) sought to identify child victims of sex trafficking from electronic health records.[v] Because child sex trafficking survivors experience high levels of adverse health outcomes, we used artificial intelligence-assisted keyword searches to analyze clinical symptoms and associated diagnoses. They found prostitution-related keywords in .18% of patient records. The most frequently encountered relevant diagnosis codes within this group were for sexual/physical assault, depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, trauma- and stress-related disorders, and suicidal ideation. This finding is consistent with the known adverse physical and psychological outcomes of child prostitution. Victim.

Situational awareness saves lives

Citizens can participate in the fight against human trafficking through education and observation in a variety of settings and in a variety of ways. Depending on the individual’s perspective, awareness in both public and private spaces provides one of the best ways to recognize, report, and ultimately rescue victims of this insidious crime.