M Live - Grand Rapids Doctor Joins Sen. Gary Peters in Promoting Human Trafficking Bill

News Article

By Sue Thoms

A local physician joined U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Michigan, on Friday, May 1, in calling for training to help medical professionals identify victims of human trafficking.

Dr. Matthew Denenberg, the chief medical director of Spectrum Health's Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, spoke in support of legislation that would provide training to help doctors and nurses recognize the warning signs that could indicate a person is a victim of human trafficking.

The victims "are too often afraid to reach out for help, and empowering doctors and nurses to recognize the signs of human trafficking is critical to addressing this problem," Denenberg said at a news conference at Spectrum's Fred & Lena Meijer Heart Center.

"These victims are likely to come in contact with a medical professional at some point in their captivity, and this bill is a great step towards getting them the help they need and ending the growing problem of human trafficking."

The bill that Peters co-sponsored with Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, passed the Senate on April 22 as part of a broader package of human trafficking legislation and is now before the House. It aims to help those who are forced to to sell sex for money or to work in dangerous conditions without pay, Peters said.

The legislation would establish a pilot program to train health care professionals, awarding grants to a medical school with experience studying and treating victims of human trafficking to develop best practices for identifying the victims. The grants would be administered by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Having medical professionals doing the clinical exams and working with law enforcement is crucial to rescuing victims, said Jane White, the director of the Michigan Human Trafficking Task Force.

"Human trafficking is not just a problem in third world countries, but one that exists right here in Michigan -- and often in plain sight of the community," White said.

In July 2013, 18 people were arrested in Michigan on charges of sex trafficking as part of a nationwide FBI sting that netted 159 arrests and rescued 105 juveniles. Ten juveniles were rescued in Detroit, the second highest number of the cities involved in the sweep.

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