HEAL Experts Highlight Human Trafficking as a Public Health Issue in Brazil's VEJA
A new article in VEJA, co-authored by HEAL Co-Founder Hanni Stoklosa, HEAL members Marcella Regina Cardoso, and Mona Lisa Dourado examines human trafficking as a public health issue and highlights HEAL’s Protocol Toolkit adapted for healthcare professionals in Brazil.
A recent article in VEJA, one of Brazil’s leading news publications, examines human trafficking as a public health issue and highlights the critical role healthcare professionals can play in recognizing and responding to trafficking.
Co-authored by HEAL Trafficking Founder Hanni Stoklosa, HEAL members Marcella Regina Cardoso, and Mona Lisa Dourado, the article explores changing patterns of trafficking in Brazil, the health impacts experienced by survivors, and the importance of equipping healthcare professionals to recognize potential trafficking and respond safely.
The article also highlights HEAL’s Protocol Toolkit, which was adapted for the Brazilian context and made available in Portuguese. The free resource provides practical guidance to help healthcare professionals identify potential trafficking, engage patients using a trauma-informed approach, and support safe referral and response.
As the authors emphasize, healthcare encounters can represent a critical opportunity to recognize trafficking while exploitation is still occurring. Ensuring providers have practical, context-specific tools is an important part of strengthening the health response to human trafficking.
Read the full article in VEJA (Portuguese) and explore the Brazil-adapted Protocol Toolkit.