CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) — The Tri-County Human Trafficking Task Force has been successfully pushing for a bill that would make human trafficking awareness and prevention mandatory for all healthcare professionals.
Introduced in the 126th General Assembly, S.C. H.4343 would require one-hour training for a wide range of professionals, including nurses, doctors, physicians and even dentists. The Tri-County Human Trafficking Task Force says the healthcare subcommittee found that one of the greatest struggles in fighting against human trafficking is healthcare professionals not always knowing the signs when someone is or has been trafficked. After they made this realization, they took the lead on legislation for the bill.
Erin Hart, co-chair of the healthcare subcommittee with the Tri-County Human Trafficking Task Force, says when she first got into the healthcare field, she didn’t have any education on human trafficking – something that became a commonality…