Identification of Skin Signs in Human Trafficking Survivors

Abstract Human trafficking survivors suffer significant physical, mental, and social health consequences, prompting them to seek healthcare services. Although there is research regarding identification protocols of human trafficking victims, there is no framework outlining dermatologic patterns of survivors of human trafficking. We sought to identify dermatologic signs reported in human trafficking victims to create a framework for dermatologists and the broader medical community to appropriately screen patients at risk. After screening 577 pertinent records on Pubmed and Google Scholar databases for information about the physical signs of human trafficking in health care, 10 final studies were selected. Significant findings rashes and brandings such as tattoos were more likely to be found in sex trafficked patients while burns, injuries, and deep cuts were more likely to be found in labor trafficked patients. This review outlines important identification guidelines that dermatologists and the broader medical community can use to recognize victims and take appropriate action while also raising awareness of human trafficking as an emerging public health issue.