Sex Trafficking Education, Identification, and Response (STEIR) Project

Project Summary:

Sex trafficking is a widespread public health issue that adversely affects victims’ physical and behavioral health. Sex trading, especially at street level, is also associated with significant harms. While the prevalence of sex trafficking and sex trading are largely unknown and are often either misrepresented or undercounted, we know that it is occurring in every county of Wisconsin and especially in urban centers like Milwaukee. Victims of trafficking and people who trade sex are more likely to seek healthcare within emergency departments (EDs), yet ED staff do not routinely screen or identify these populations. Without proper identification and connection to resources, their needs are often unmet, their health and well-being suffer, and their safety may be compromised. The Sex Trafficking Education, Identification, and Response (STEIR) Project will engage in an ongoing collaborative stakeholder process to improve Froedtert ED staff capacity to recognize and respond to sex trafficking victims and those at risk. The proposed approach for the STEIR project is to achieve three aims: deliver tiered education to approximately 150 providers and staff across three distinct Froedtert EDs to improve awareness and identification of sex trafficking and sex trading; develop and implement a trauma-informed response protocol for individuals at risk of or involved in sex trafficking or sex trading in Froedtert EDs; and improve and evaluate elements and implementation of education and response protocol through collaborative stakeholder processes.