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Trauma-Informed Care for Victims of Human Trafficking
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Trauma-Informed Care for Victims of Human Trafficking
How can a professional in the social and health sector identify and help a victim of human trafficking? This question was discussed in a training organized by IOM Finland. The topic is important, as the number of victims of human trafficking has tripled between 2015 and 2018. The training program contained some exercises which gave the participants the chance put their newly acquired knowledge into practice, and it also contributed to further learning.
In 2018, 163 people were admitted as clients to the Assistance System for Victims of Human Trafficking, while in 2015 the number was 52. The number of clients has therefore more than tripled in three years. Most typically, victims of human trafficking are from Nigeria, Iraq, Afghanistan or Somalia.
On 29 January 2019, IOM Finland organized a training on promoting the health and well-being of victims of human trafficking. It was part of a series of trainings implemented in different parts of Finland during the spring of 2019. The trainers were Jaana Sipilä, IOM Finland’s anti-trafficking project coordinator, and Miila Nieminen, project assistant.
Interaction with a Traumatized Victim of Human Trafficking
Participatory tasks were used to practice helping a victim of trafficking. At the beginning of the day, the trainers gave an hour-long introduction on identifying and helping a victim of human trafficking. After that, the participants made a simulation of a dialogue between a healthcare professional and a client suffering from anxiety and fear. The participants analyzed the healthcare professional's encounter with the client sentence by sentence, and often stopped to think about what kind of message the words were conveying and what could have been said better. The assignment led to a lively discussion – there is no ready-made recipe for customer meetings, and one can communicate a lot with body language.
Preparing for and practicing healthcare or social service situations is important, as they may be the only chance for the victim of human trafficking to be noticed.
"A trauma-informed way of working is key when helping victims of human trafficking," trainer Jaana Sipilä reminded. A trauma-informed way of working means, for example, that the impact of the trauma experience on the client's behavior is taken into account and communication is clear enough. "During the consultation, it's important to let the client know all the time what is going on, and to ask for permission before each examination," Sipilä continued.
Network Cooperation in Helping Victims of Human Trafficking
In the afternoon, there was an exercise on helping a victim of human trafficking in practice. The participants learned about the story of a person called Chung. Chung had come to Finland to work in a company owned by a relative of his. However, the work was unpaid and the working days inhumane. As a result, Chung's mental and physical health deteriorated.
The participants were divided into groups in which they discussed how they could help Chung from their position as a professional. Making sure he would manage to reach aid services was considered the biggest challenge. The reflection was followed by a simulation of a discussion between providers of social and health services in the imaginary community. The representatives of the service providers discussed how the services could be brought close to the client instead of him having to go from one place to another to get help. The participants put their souls into their roles so that not even a laughter was spared despite the seriousness of the topic.
The participants received practical tools to assist victims of human trafficking and promote their health. All participants were given a guide on the health of victims of human trafficking produced by IOM (available in Finnish and Swedish), which was also used in the training. Participatory exercises offered meaningful exchanges between students in the social and health care sector as well as professionals working to help victims of human trafficking.
The writer works at IOM Finland communications.
IOM:n Suomen-toimiston blogin kirjoittajien näkemykset ovat heidän omiaan eivätkä välttämättä edusta YK:n siirtolaisuusjärjestö IOM:n virallista kantaa.
More information
IOM organizes trainings on promoting the health and well-being of victims of human trafficking during the spring of 2019.
More information on the Assistance System for Victims of Human Trafficking here.
Related Blogs
How can a professional in the social and health sector identify and help a victim of human trafficking? This question was discussed in a training organized by IOM Finland. The topic is important, as the number of victims of human trafficking has tripled between 2015 and 2018. The training program contained some exercises which gave the participants the chance put their newly acquired knowledge into practice, and it also contributed to further learning.
In 2018, 163 people were admitted as clients to the Assistance System for Victims of Human Trafficking, while in 2015 the number was 52. The number of clients has therefore more than tripled in three years. Most typically, victims of human trafficking are from Nigeria, Iraq, Afghanistan or Somalia.
On 29 January 2019, IOM Finland organized a training on promoting the health and well-being of victims of human trafficking. It was part of a series of trainings implemented in different parts of Finland during the spring of 2019. The trainers were Jaana Sipilä, IOM Finland’s anti-trafficking project coordinator, and Miila Nieminen, project assistant.
Interaction with a Traumatized Victim of Human Trafficking
Participatory tasks were used to practice helping a victim of trafficking. At the beginning of the day, the trainers gave an hour-long introduction on identifying and helping a victim of human trafficking. After that, the participants made a simulation of a dialogue between a healthcare professional and a client suffering from anxiety and fear. The participants analyzed the healthcare professional's encounter with the client sentence by sentence, and often stopped to think about what kind of message the words were conveying and what could have been said better. The assignment led to a lively discussion – there is no ready-made recipe for customer meetings, and one can communicate a lot with body language.
Preparing for and practicing healthcare or social service situations is important, as they may be the only chance for the victim of human trafficking to be noticed.
"A trauma-informed way of working is key when helping victims of human trafficking," trainer Jaana Sipilä reminded. A trauma-informed way of working means, for example, that the impact of the trauma experience on the client's behavior is taken into account and communication is clear enough. "During the consultation, it's important to let the client know all the time what is going on, and to ask for permission before each examination," Sipilä continued.
Network Cooperation in Helping Victims of Human Trafficking
In the afternoon, there was an exercise on helping a victim of human trafficking in practice. The participants learned about the story of a person called Chung. Chung had come to Finland to work in a company owned by a relative of his. However, the work was unpaid and the working days inhumane. As a result, Chung's mental and physical health deteriorated.
The participants were divided into groups in which they discussed how they could help Chung from their position as a professional. Making sure he would manage to reach aid services was considered the biggest challenge. The reflection was followed by a simulation of a discussion between providers of social and health services in the imaginary community. The representatives of the service providers discussed how the services could be brought close to the client instead of him having to go from one place to another to get help. The participants put their souls into their roles so that not even a laughter was spared despite the seriousness of the topic.
The participants received practical tools to assist victims of human trafficking and promote their health. All participants were given a guide on the health of victims of human trafficking produced by IOM (available in Finnish and Swedish), which was also used in the training. Participatory exercises offered meaningful exchanges between students in the social and health care sector as well as professionals working to help victims of human trafficking.
The writer works at IOM Finland communications.
IOM:n Suomen-toimiston blogin kirjoittajien näkemykset ovat heidän omiaan eivätkä välttämättä edusta YK:n siirtolaisuusjärjestö IOM:n virallista kantaa.
More information
IOM organizes trainings on promoting the health and well-being of victims of human trafficking during the spring of 2019.
More information on the Assistance System for Victims of Human Trafficking here.