Recognizing and responding to sex-trafficked minors in the healthcare setting.

Nearly 6,100 reports of sex trafficking were made to the United States Human Trafficking Hotline in 2017; 29% of those reports involved minors. Physician assistants (PAs), especially those working in emergency medicine and primary care, are among the few frequently accessed healthcare providers who have the opportunity for a private conversation with a sex trafficking victim or survivor. PAs must be able to recognize the risk factors and signs of trafficking and respond in a trauma-informed, survivor-centered manner. Connecting trafficking victims, survivors, and at-risk youth with wraparound services is critical to their well-being.