This paper discusses the establishment of trust between young people who have experienced exploitation and their healthcare providers.
In this brief, the authors suggest that young people who experience exploitation are very unlikely to trust healthcare professionals if they do not have a foundation of experiences with medical professionals that fosters trust and communication. Two main sources of data were collected to understand the physical and psychological health concerns, health-accessing behavior, and challenges to meeting the healthcare needs of young people experiencing commercial sexual exploitation. Quantitative survey data from a large sample of 534 young people across the US between the ages of 13-24 who experienced minor sex trafficking, or who are at high risk for experiencing sex trafficking, provide information about the health needs and conditions, health care utilization, and healthcare experiences for this population. Qualitative data gathered through in-depth, semi-structured interviews of 35 adult survivors of minor sex trafficking provided survivor narratives of their experiences seeking healthcare and meeting their healthcare needs across multiple stages of survivorship. It is critical that young people who are at risk of exploitation have a strong foundation of trusting relationships with healthcare providers before, during, and after exploitation. When such a foundation is lacking, it is harder for young people experiencing exploitation to seek needed medical care or disclose information to medical professionals that could increase their safety and support. Training for healthcare workers around commercial sexual exploitation has focused on tools to enhance identification.