I’ve prepared, with the support of Abolition International, a series of documents to help organizations deal with the health and medical issues involved in the after care and rehabilitation (residential or community-based) of trafficked people .

These guidelines are designed for organizations working in less-developed countries where medical care may not be up to Western medical standards and where health professionals lack understanding of how to care for trafficked people. Without a knowledgeable medical professional’s input, it can be difficult to sort out which vaccines to administer or the schedule for follow up testing of sexually transmitted infections.

It can be difficult, due to the power-distance ratio that exists between doctor and patient in many countries, for the patient or the patient’s advocate (e.g. the staff member) to assert certain questions or demand certain testing. Therefore, guidance in the development of standard forms for doctors to fill out as required by the organization may help overcome this barrier.

The titles include:

  • Medical Check up intake form
  • Health History intake questionnaire form
  • Routine medical follow up form
  • A guide to sexually transmitted infections testing and follow up
  • Vaccine primer
  • What to keep in a medical kit
  • Post-exposure prophylaxis of HIV
  • Post-exposure prophylaxis of HBV & HCV (Hepatitis B & C)

The protocols are free of charge, and are available by emailing Abolition International at aisainfo@abolitioninternational.org.

Other protocols, such as dealing with sexualized behavior and suicide risk and prevention guidelines, are being developed. 

I’m also available for consultation on how to use these with your program or the development of specific forms particularly relevant to your situation. Of course, I’m also open to future ideas or how to improve these for use by you, the on-the-ground practitioners.

Please note that a separate curriculum designed for equipping staff in dealing with day-to-day problems such as fever or headache, is also in the works.