Preventing Child Trafficking: A Public Health Approach

A call to action―to provide a public health toolkit for all people who work, or care for children, from policy makers, to educators, health-care and social workers, and community leaders . . . [Preventing Child Trafficking is a] thorough, well researched, evidence-based book, with an impassioned argument for action.
―Jules Morgan, The Lancet Child And Adolescent

Preventing Child Trafficking by Todres and Diaz examine what human trafficking entails and responses that need to be taken on the issue. The authors address ways that evidence-based research would be beneficial in preventing human trafficking and the methods that should be implemented. Issues raised in this book are intended for the general public, medical professionals, legislatures, and researchers. The information presented is intended to bring awareness to aid combatting human trafficking.
―Morgan Fetters, Journal of Youth and Adolescence

Todres and Diaz provide a very detailed, thoughtful analysis and cogent arguments for using a public health approach to human trafficking.
―Jordan Greenbaum, MD, Stephanie V. Blank Center for Safe and Healthy Children, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

Making a compelling argument for the role of the health care system in the identification and prevention of child trafficking, as well as the treatment of those youth who are already involved, Todres and Diaz offer clear recommendations for how systems can focus on prevention and support. Students and scholars in public health, medicine, nursing, criminology, social work, and public policy will be particularly interested in this book, along with policymakers and child advocates.
―Ryan T. Shields, University of Massachusetts Lowell

A remarkable book, a fine piece of research on a topic that often remains overlooked and misunderstood. Written by two of the leading authors in this field, Preventing Child Trafficking is an important piece that not only canvasses the causes and circumstances of this heinous crime, but also develops meaningful responses that can stop trafficking from happening in the first place and enhance the rights and treatment of children.
―Andreas Schloenhardt, University of Queensland, Australia

Preventing Child Trafficking is an extremely well-researched and evidenced-based call to move beyond the current criminal justice–focused approach to fighting human trafficking in the United States. Everyone working to combat human trafficking should adopt the public health–based model laid out in this book.
―Bridgette Carr, The University of Michigan Law School, coauthor of Human Trafficking Law and Policy

Excellent analysis of child trafficking from a practical and human rights perspective! Using case studies from an adolescent health clinic, this text makes a powerful case for a public health approach to eliminate this problem. This is a must-read for policymakers and service professionals in any sector combatting child trafficking.
―Kimberly S.G. Chang, MD, MPH, Frank Kiang Medical Center, Asian Health Services

Preventing Child Trafficking is an invaluable resource for students and scholars alike, masterfully providing both foundational knowledge and much more complex insights on the exploitation of children in the United States.
―Cathy Zimmerman, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

How can a public health approach advance efforts to prevent, identify, and respond to child trafficking?

Child trafficking is widely recognized as one of the critical issues of our day, prompting calls to action at the global, national, and local levels. Yet it is unclear whether the strategies and tools used to counter this exploitation―most of which involve law enforcement and social services―have actually reduced the prevalence of trafficking.

In Preventing Child Trafficking, Jonathan Todres and Angela Diaz explore how the public health field can play a comprehensive, integrated role in preventing, identifying, and responding to child trafficking. Describing the depth and breadth of trafficking's impact on children while exploring the limitations in current responses, Todres and Diaz argue that public health frameworks offer important insights into the problem, with detailed chapters on how professionals and organizations can identify and respond effectively to at-risk and trafficked children.

Drawing on the authors' years of experience working on this issue―Diaz is a doctor at a frontline medical center serving at-risk youth, victims, and survivors; Todres is a legal expert on legislative and policy initiatives to address child trafficking―the book maps out a public health approach to child trafficking, the role of the health care sector, and the prospects for building a comprehensive response. Providing readers with advice geared toward better understanding trafficking's root causes, this revelatory book concludes by mapping out a "public health toolkit" that can be used by anyone who is interested in preventing child trafficking, from policymakers to professionals who work with children.

Preventing Child Trafficking is an invaluable resource for students and scholars alike, masterfully providing both foundational knowledge and much more complex insights on the exploitation of children in the United States.

How can a public health approach advance efforts to prevent, identify, and respond to child trafficking?

Jonathan Todres, JD, is a professor of law at Georgia State University. He has authored numerous publications on child trafficking and related forms of child exploitation.

Angela Diaz, MD, is the Jean C. and James W. Crystal Professor in Adolescent Health within the Department of Pediatrics and the Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She is also the director of the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center.