Healthcare providers’ experience of identifying and caring for women subjected to sex trafficking: a qualitative study
2024 (English) In: BMC Women's Health, E-ISSN 1472-6874, Vol. 24, no 1, article id 149Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Background: Men’s violence against women, including human trafficking for sexual exploitation, is a severe threat to global health. Healthcare providers are uniquely positioned to identify and care for women subjected to human trafficking for sexual exploitation. They are among the few professionals the women interact with while being exposed to human trafficking for sexual exploitation. This study aims to describe healthcare workers’ experience of identifying and caring for women subjected to human trafficking for sexual exploitation seeking women’s healthcare. Method: A qualitative design was chosen and nine qualitative interviews with healthcare providers were conducted and analyzed using the content analysis method. Results: Three main categories were revealed: (1) the importance of being attentive, (2) the importance of providing safety, and (3) the importance of collaborating, followed by a number of subcategories: behavioral and physical signs, limited time to interact, security measures, value of confidence building, organizational collaboration, essential external network, and information transmission. Conclusions: As the women subjected to sex trafficking have limited time in healthcare, it is important for healthcare providers to be attentive and act immediately if suspecting human trafficking for sexual exploitation. It may be the only possibility for the healthcare providers to care for these women and reach them. They must endeavor to provide the women with safety due to their vulnerable position at the hospital. However, these women may leave the healthcare setting unidentified and unaided, which highlights the importance of collaboration on multiple levels. © The Author(s) 2024.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages BioMed Central (BMC), 2024. Vol. 24, no 1, article id 149
Keywords [en]
Global health, Healthcare providers, Human trafficking for sexual exploitation, Qualitative research, Women’s healthcare, Female, Health Personnel, Human Trafficking, Humans, Male, Men, Sexual Behavior, adult, aggression, article, care behavior, clinical article, content analysis, drug therapy, health care personnel, human, interview, middle aged, sex trafficking, sexual exploitation, prevention and control
National Category
Nursing
Identifiers URN: urn:nbn:se:bth-26058 DOI: 10.1186/s12905-024-02992-6 ISI: 001175830900003 PubMedID: 38424503 Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85186316856 OAI: oai:DiVA.org:bth-26058 DiVA, id: diva2:1845465
2024-03-192024-03-192024-04-08 Bibliographically approved