Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital Joins Fight Against Human Trafficking

Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Ga. is now training its health care personnel to identify victims of sex trafficking, CNN reports.

In the training session, hospital representatives lecture on the history of sex trafficking in the area, how to recognize victims, their authority to intervene, and who they should contact.

Craig Tindall, senior vice president of Grady Health System, tells CNN that it's all about prevention. As those in the health care industry are more likely than most to treat a victim, Tindall says training is imperative.

Often times when they finish these training sessions they ask the question, "How many of you now think you've seen someone in this situation?" and hands are all in the air. So, again, it's all about awareness of the problem and what we can do to impact it.

According to Children Of The Night, Atlanta has one of the highest levels of child prostitution among U.S. cities.

WATCH:

Comments

[MikeyJaii]

12:06 PM on 07/11/2011

It is also the police's fault for not protecting the neighborhood that they're supposed to circle and patrol around.

[dbrett480]

08:26 PM on 06/24/2011

Good idea. There are too many victims of this because of the violent pimps and gangs. As soon as victims are identified, the pimps need to be caught and sent away forever.

[funnymanzone]

05:49 AM on 06/22/2011

Human Trafficking by Getting Their Hair Cut Watch - http://bit.ly/jMboRz

[Stephen Stafford]

03:48 PM on 06/21/2011

How is any contacting being done in light of HIPPA, which prohibits disclosure of medical information without specific informed consent? I really wish the article had discussed this. Health care workers cannot divulge information without specific consent, with the exception of possible abuse, which must be reported to the appropriate authorities.

[King Cashaw]

04:30 PM on 06/21/2011

I thought the could contact the authorities if they had evidence of a crime?

[Stephen Stafford]

06:41 PM on 06/21/2011

They may report suspicion of abuse or maltreatment in proscribed circumstances. Health care workers cannot speak to evidence and that would need be evaluated by the appropriate agency.

They cannot just contact authorities when they feel there has been a crime. Their concern is the patient at hand, and that person's needs and confidentiality cannot be breached. Think about it, if anybody could call the police when they became aware of something during a medical crisis, everyone involved in a fight, or reporting use of drugs or misuse of medication, would get turned in and the legal system would be overrun even more. Worse yet, people would not provide healthcare workers with the historical and personal information needed to provide appropriate care.

[dbrett480]

08:28 PM on 06/24/2011

If the person is a crime victim (especially a child), hospital authorities are obligated to notify authorities. I would also like to think that my (and your) rights to "specific consent" are far less important than making sure child sex victims are helped.

[No Thankyou]

03:06 PM on 06/21/2011

Many other industrialized countries no longer waste time and money criminalizing self-initiated prostitution. That might do a lot to free up resources and help promote a healthier environment where the true victims of forced prostitution and organized crime wouldn't be as hesitant to seek help and would have more services and assistance available to them. But a nation as hung up on sex and shame as the US is probably won't ever be able to tackle this sort issue without getting endlessly sidetracked on devout ideology.

[DaydreamingTori]

05:56 AM on 06/23/2011

While I agree self-initiated prostitution is different from those who are forced, ANY child prostitute can be murdered, raped, or beaten. What would the measuring stick be to differentiate between "forced" & "self-initiated" be? Should they ask these traumatized girls (& boys) if they "wanted" to prostitute? Blaming the victim is pervasive in our society. Though America is overall saturated with both religious idolatry & hyper-sexuality, it doesn't excuse doing nothing. If ATL's child prostitutes are anything like the "crackhoes" (in Harlem, Manhattan, NY or Brownsville/Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, NY) when I was little, I hope Grady saves every single one they spot.

[dbrett480]

08:29 PM on 06/24/2011

That's fine. But the issue is child sex trafficking. I don't care what other industrialized countries do, child sex trafficking is a vile practice that needs to be stopped.

[Arthur L]

03:06 PM on 06/21/2011

As opposed to all of those hospitals that fighting FOR human trafficking.

[crowepps]

03:43 PM on 06/21/2011

As opposed to those hospitals where the personnel are still oblivious to human trafficking and child prostitution.

[Arthur L]

08:44 PM on 06/21/2011

Yea, those healthcare workers are horrible. That's probably why they got into healthcare.

[patches04]

12:10 PM on 07/03/2011

crowepps, which states and which hospitals? They are obligated to report such crimes.

[seereene1]

12:00 PM on 06/21/2011

Good for Grady! I'm from NYC and when I went to ATL - I saw prostitution at night like I've never seen - so that's saying something. There are 'ho strolls all over the city and the police seem to take a blind eye to this. There can't be sex trafficking without customers who don't care how old that girl or boy is or where they come from. There needs to be harsher penalties for the pimps and customers - and help to get the sex workers out.

[PhillyKing]

03:38 PM on 06/21/2011

why tell adults what they can and cannot do with their own bodies... if u wanna fight child prostitution then fight child prostitution, but consenting adults dont need the govt telling them who they can and cannot sleep with.

[seereene1]

08:13 AM on 06/22/2011

The article is about sex-trafficking. Those are people who are tricked into prostitution - often from foreign countries and are underage - who have no choice. There is nothing consenting about it. For the record - I agree with legalized prostitution - the govt. has no business telling people how they can make a living. But I believe it ought to be regulated - made safe and taxed. Get the abusive pimps and enslavers out of the picture.

[patches04]

12:12 PM on 07/03/2011

PhillyKing, prostitution is a crime and the prostitutes are victims, too. One reads about pimps killing their "girls" if they even think they are being cheated to make a point to the other " girls". Often these women or children have been sexualy abused as children and are easy vicitims.

[PoliSci2008]

03:44 PM on 06/21/2011

The cops don't care b/c the victims are black; pimps our black; it's a black on black crime situation. Just like the Atlanta Child Murders of 30+ young boys.

Then the second proble is there's no jobs. My cousin who lives just outside of Atlanta has a saying, "Atlanta (the white employers) takes care of their own".

With all the black professionals and socially conscious groups, NAACP, UP, CCC, in Atlanta, it would be nice to see a movement of more black business development and hiring.

Just Keeping it Real!

[Ecoutez]

07:15 PM on 06/21/2011

hmmm. not so sure I agree with you on the Atlanta Child Murders. Several writers don't believe Wayne Williams, the Black man imprisoned was the murderer in all of the reported cases. Some theorize that the children "knew" who the killers were and were not fearful because they were either in uniform as a policeman, postman, ice-cream truck driver, etc. One analysis of the emotional climate and state of mind of Black Atlantans at the time is well-captured in the late Toni Cade Bambara's "Them Bones are not My Child."

[Robyn D]

03:29 PM on 06/23/2011

Actually, studies generally show that victims and pimps stretch across all nationalities. The average "john" or purchaser of sex is a white, 30 years range male.

[atexasdem]

11:46 PM on 06/20/2011

This is a fantastic first step but it can't stop there. Health professionals must work with law enforcement and social workers to eliminate sexual slavery and trafficking. It has to be a team effort. Illegals know they cannot turn to law enforcement for help. An illegal can be robbed or raped and not dare to report it because they know the focus will be on their immigrant status rather than the crime that was committed against them. Police have to learn to recognize the difference between a kidnapped illegal sex slave and a by choice prostitute. Social workers have to be trained how to handle them. Locking a sex slave victim up until they are bussed to the border, marched across and abandoned is not the way to handle these cases. Giving light sentences or even no sentences to sex traffickers sends a message that it's okay as long as they aren't American sex slaves. We are punishing the victims instead of the criminals.
Until illegals are not afraid to report crimes. Until police focus on crime instead of status this will continue. I'm sure that many will say "They have it coming for being illegal".
This strikes me as the same attitude that blames a woman being raped because she was wearing an attractive or provocative dress. A common belief not that many years ago.