Health Impairment - Medical Aspects
In 1946 the World Health Organization (WHO) defined Health as follows: "Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."1 Human Trafficking runs against the definition of health in all three points.
Physical Health
The physical health of those who are affected is at high risk. By the way of transportation, they are often exposed to life-threatening situations because they are brought across national borders illegally. In the country of destination the victims are often abused. They are exposed to extreme stress situations, often they are denied to eat and suffer from sleep deprivation. Physical abuse can be detected by fractures, bruises or facial injuries. Furthermore, the victims are at high risk to become infected with sexually transmitted diseases (STD) or to become pregnant.2 In most cases the victims have no or only limited access to medical services, which often leads to further deterioration of their health.
Mental Health Status
Through their negative experiences the victims are at high risk of suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder syndrome (PTSD). In 2010, Hossain et al. published the study "The Relationship of Trauma to Mental Disorders Among Trafficked and Sexually Exploited Girls and Women". The authors demonstrated that out of 204 participants 77% suffered from PTSD; 56% additionally experienced a major depressive disorder and a panic disorder.3 Human Trafficking therefore has a huge impact on the mental health status of its victims.
Social Welfare
Victims of human trafficking are torn away from their communities and lose the connection to their relatives and friends. When they arrive in the country of destination, their identification documents are taken away from them. This often leads them to believe that they cannot even turn to official authorities to report the crime that has happened to them. Isolated without any contact to their families or friends and forced to work under extremely poor conditions, the victims feel abandoned and powerless, and lose their self-esteem. Further problems occur when they return to their homes. It often is the case that their families and relatives no longer accept them and refuse to take them back.4
Literature
[1] World Health Organization. 1946. [www.who.int/bulletin/archives/80(12)981.pdf WHO definition of Health], Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization as adopted by the International Health Conference, New York, 19–22 June 1946; signed on 22 July 1946 by the representatives of 61 States (Official Records of the World Health Organization, no. 2, p. 100) and entered into force on 7 April 1948.
[2] Zimmerman C, Hossain M, Yun K et al. The health risks and consequences of trafficking in women and adolescents: Findings from a European study. London: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine 2003.
[3] Hossain M, Zimmermann C, Abas M. et al. The Relationship of Trauma to Mental Disorders among Trafficked and Sexually Exploited Girls and Women. Am J Public Health 2010 Dec; 100 (12) 2442-9. Epub 2010 Oct 21.
[4] Poole I. Trafficking in Albania: The Present Reality. In: Wylie G, McRedmond P, Hrsg. Human Trafficking in Europe: Character, Causes and Consequences. 1. Aufl. Basingstoke: Palgrave Mcmillan Ltd.; 2010: 97-107