Heitkamp's Bipartisan Bill to Train Health Workers to Identify, Protect Human Trafficking Victims is Introduced in U.S. House of Representatives

Press Release

U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) and U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) today announced that their bipartisan legislation to give health care providers -- including doctors, nurses, and social workers -- training to help identify and protect victims of human trafficking was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Democratic Congressman Steve Cohen of Tennessee and Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger of Illinois introduced the senators' bill to prepare medical professionals to recognize, report, and potentially intervene when they see patients who are possible human trafficking victims. Heitkamp and Collins' Stop, Observe, Ask and Respond (SOAR) to Health and Wellness Act would work to do that by expanding on the successes of an existing U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) pilot program which has trained nearly 60 health care workers in North Dakota. Joining Cohen and Kinzinger in introducing the bill are Democratic Congressman Tony Cárdenas of California and Republican Congresswoman Ann Wagner of Missouri.

Heitkamp and Collins introduced their bill in the Senate in May 2015 to make sure that the nearly one-third of women trafficked in America who saw a health care professional while they were still captive to these crimes, are identified by medical workers like doctors and nurses who can help connect them with the protective and recovery resources they need.

"Victims of human trafficking are hidden in plain sight -- making those in captivity unrecognizable even to our most trusted professionals like doctors and nurses," said Heitkamp. "By implementing across the country the successes of health worker pilot training programs in North Dakota, my bipartisan bill with Senator Collins would help provide the critical tools medical professionals need to recognize and protect victims of human trafficking. Today's introduction of our bill in the U.S. House of Representatives is a critical step toward putting an end to human trafficking by identifying victims and getting them the support they need."

"Sex trafficking is a heinous crime that tragically affects every corner of America. Human traffickers prey upon the most vulnerable, often homeless or runaway children," said Collins. "Identification is a crucial, and frequently missed, step in helping victims and stopping these atrocities. This bipartisan legislation would expand a successful pilot program at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to ensure that more health care providers have the training to identify, report, and treat these cases, which will help us shine a light on some of the darkest stories imaginable and protect victims of these detestable crimes."

"Human trafficking is a hidden crime that impacts hundreds of thousands of people across the U.S., and many of these victims end up in a health care setting while being exploited," said Cohen. "Our bill aims to ensure health care professionals are trained to identify victims of human trafficking and provide them with critical, victim-centered health care. Our bill also enables health care providers to implement protocols and procedures for working with victims service organizations and law enforcement so that victims can get proper support and perpetrators of human trafficking are brought to justice. I would like to thank Reps. Kinzinger, Cárdenas and Wagner for joining me in introducing this bill."

"It is critical that our health care providers are trained to recognize cases of human trafficking and have the proper procedures to best help those most vulnerable," said Kinzinger. "I'm proud to be an original cosponsor of the SOAR Act and I believe this pilot program will have a significant impact towards identifying cases of human trafficking and helping more victims across the country from this disgusting crime."

"Human trafficking has grown into a large scale industry that is disproportionately geared towards women," said Cárdenas. "This is just one of the many reasons why I did not hesitate to become an original cosponsor of the SOAR bill. Victims of trafficking suffer long-term effects, and with the introduction of new research, it is evident that the people who seek help can be identified and properly cared for by trained professionals. It is time to use this information in order to help stop the growth of the trafficking industry and facilitate the well-being of both survivors and victims."

"Education and awareness are critical in the fight to end human trafficking. This legislation will provide health care providers on all levels with the appropriate training and tools necessary to identify and report potential cases of human trafficking," said Wagner. "With tens of thousands of victims being trafficked in the United States each year, I am happy to work with my colleagues across the aisle to introduce and quickly pass this legislation."

Since September 2014, HHS' pilot training program has helped provide training for health care workers on six sites in five states, including medical professionals in Williston and New Town, North Dakota. Heitkamp and Collins' SOAR Act would build off the pilot program to help more health care professionals across the country by developing a national program for quality training; making sure these training efforts are adaptable, effective, and responsive to the needs of victims; and tracking these efforts nationally -- so the programs can continue to develop and improve to best serve more victims and survivors of human trafficking. Nationwide, approximately 400,000 domestic minors are involved in human trafficking -- 80 percent of these victims are female.

Click here to read statements of support from Polaris, HEAL Trafficking Inc., the Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST), and others.

Heitkamp and Collins' SOAR Act would work to prepare medical professionals to identify, properly treat, and aid victims of human trafficking by:

Engaging Health Care Professionals to Provide Responsive Care: The bill would help guide health care professionals to identify, empower, and refer human trafficking victims and survivors by helping them communicate with law enforcement or access social and victims' services, and provide care that is sensitive to the age, gender, or culture of the victim, as well as to circumstance and potential trauma they may have experienced.

Bringing All Sides Together: The bill would collectively engage victims, survivors, advocates as well as federal, state, local or tribal partners by making sure all sides are communicating effectively on collective and flexible training that accommodates the needs of specific communities.

Developing a National Strategy: The bill would work to provide a nationwide protocol for health care training to make sure that medical professionals have the opportunity to access the technical assistance and education they need to prepare for and respond to instances of human trafficking.

Tracking the Progress: The bill would implement required reporting and data on the facilities and providers using the training to combat human trafficking.