The Health Effects of the Human Trafficking of Women and Children

Human trafficking refers to cheating, forcing or simply abducting people into captivity and then transporting them somewhere else to be exploited --- usually sold. According to the U.S. Department of State, between 600,000 and 800,000 women, men and children are trafficked from one country to another each year; as many as 50,000 of those coming into the United States. Many of these victims are forced into the prostitution or pornography trades. If the psychological effects of losing your freedom, being sent to another country and living in enslavement do not sound harmful enough, there are also devastating effects that these events have on the physical health of the "cargo."

Substance Abuse

• Children who have been trafficking victims are twice as likely to experience clinical depression, dissociative disorders and personality disorders, and are at an elevated risk to abuse drugs or turn to prostitution after entering adulthood, according to E.J. Klain. The physical effects of drug addiction and abuse include shortened life expectancy, reduced mental capacity and a number of dangerous symptoms, including insomnia, nausea and sweating. Other effects include anxiety and depression, particularly as abuse leads to an increased need for the substances in question.

Physical Injuries

• According to a 2002 study by Hynes and Raymond, entitled "Put in Harm's Way: The Neglected Health Consequences of Sex Trafficking in the United States," two out of three women involved in sex trafficking experience internal injuries that would be classified as serious if they were permitted to seek medical attention. One in four have head trauma, and one in eight suffer from fractures. Common internal injuries stem from physical abuse and include contusions and, in some cases, organ damage that affects their reproductive systems.

Sexual and Reproductive Effects

• Sexually trafficked women are at a significantly higher risk of contracting tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases than the general population. When it comes to HIV, they are ten times as likely to contract HIV as women in the general population, according to a report by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Also, they are at significantly higher risk of experiencing irreversible damage in their reproductive organs.

Malnutrition

• One common theme in reports from women and children who have been trafficking victims is malnutrition. The Hynes and Raymond study listed previously also reported that women lose, on average, between 22 and 50 pounds while in captivity. Trafficking victims frequently are denied access to food or receive food that is either insufficient for caloric needs or does not contain the nutrients that the victims need to remain healthy, or both.