Something just didn't add up for Diana Appiagyei and Isaiah Boateng, a pair of Morrill Scholars with career dreams of someday becoming doctors.
As they learned about the issues surrounding human trafficking, they discovered that while eight in ten victims seek medical care, a mere 20 percent of medical providers say they have treated a victim of human trafficking.
Closing this recognition gap among doctors, nurses and others on the front lines of health care across central Ohio is the driving force behind a project the duo has undertaken. Awarded a Health Equity grant from The Ohio State University College of Nursing, Appiagyei and Boateng are planning a series of short presentations to health care providers at local hospitals and health clinics on how to spot victims of human trafficking. Additionally, to keep providers informed about signs of human trafficking, they are developing a human trafficking infographic that will be posted in areas that only health care providers can access.
Raising awareness among doctors, nurses and others is just the latest foray into the battle against human trafficking for Appiagyei and Boateng. In 2021, the Morrill Scholars formed a new student group—In Safe Hands—to raise awareness of the issue and help combat human trafficking. It's a passion both STEM majors first developed while attending Columbus-area high schools.
“We kind of combined our history of anti-human trafficking efforts and interest in the medical field where we saw a gap of knowledge existed and realized providers don't have the necessary resources to identify victims of sex trafficking in clinical spaces,” said Boateng, a biomedical science major. “There isn't even a nationally recognized protocol on what to do once they've identified these victims.”
While human trafficking is sometimes perceived as a problem only in America's biggest cities, Ohio's geographic location in the middle of the country and freeway system make it a hotspot for human trafficking, the pair said. “It's really surprising to me how many people don't realize how prevalent human trafficking is,” said Appiagyei, a microbiology major. “I think a lot of people have a misconception that it only happens in big cities like LA or New York, and they don't believe it happens here in Columbus. That's one of the reasons why I'm so involved in this effort.”
While there is no “typical” victim of sex trafficking, medical providers should be on the lookout for patients who seem withdrawn or unresponsive to questions. Other signs could be patients who don't know their address or where they are, have another person holding their possessions like identification or a cell phone or exhibit physical signs like bruises or a history of sexually transmitted diseases. “There are a lot of signs that lead you to ask more questions,” said Boateng. “It requires a rapport and a more trauma-informed approach and patient-centered approach.”
As leaders of the In Safe Hands student group, Appiagyei and Boateng have plans to combat human trafficking by engaging the broader Buckeye community by sponsoring the Freeman house, a local safe house for women who have been trafficked. These students have plans to repaint the dwelling alongside survivors in a joint community service collaboration. “We're really trying to do whatever we can to raise awareness and get the whole Ohio State community involved in fighting human trafficking,” said Appiagyei. Their student group meets twice monthly at 6:30 p.m. for hour-long sessions in Enarson Classroom Building room 243. They will have two meetings this month, on October 6th and October 20th; meetings typically include a guest speaker.
Working closely with the pair on their project is Dr. Jacquelyn Meshelemiah, a College of Social Work professor who teaches a course on human trafficking. “They are pre-med students so they are already thinking about patient outcomes,” said Meshelemiah who is the faculty advisor for In Safe Hands. “These college students are “woke”. When you think about social movements in this country—like the civil rights movement—college students are often paving the way forward.”