The 256 Year Old Chinese Herbalist, Holistic Medicine, and 15 Character Traits That Cause Diseases

According to the official records, herbalist Li Ching-Yuen was born in China in 1677 (although he himself claimed that he was born in 1736). Throughout his long life, he constantly practiced herbalism and martial arts. In 1930, the New York Times newspaper printed an article in which they published official Chinese government documents that were uncovered. 

These documents, dating back to 1827, contained official congratulations on Li Ching-Yuen's 150th birthday. Later documents, dating back to 1877, contained official congratulations on his 200th birthday.

How did he do that?

Li Ching-Yuen expressed his longevity formula in one sentence: "Retain a calm heart, sit like a turtle, walk swiftly like a pigeon, and sleep like a dog".

Let's add a few more interesting historical facts to this story. Chinese army general Yang Sen invited Li to visit him, and offered him an opportunity to teach Chinese soldiers martial arts. The general could not believe how youthful his guest was, even though he had reached an age of 250 years old.

Li Ching-Yuen died on the 6th of May in 1933. He told his friends: 

"I have done all I have to do in this world. I will now go home."

After Li's death, General Yang Sen investigated the truth about his claimed background and age and wrote a report about his findings that was later published.

It is possible to find other interesting stories about Western health prodigies and Eastern Yogis who lived for over 100 years. Not only did they survive for this long, they also thrived—youthful, active, and full of enthusiasm. What could we learn from them?

Holistic medicine is all that we need

These days, even modern medicine agrees: 70% of all illnesses materialise because of negative thoughts or emotional stress. Illnesses attributed to this cause are called “psychosomatic,” and they are the biggest headache of the whole mainstream healthcare system.

Sometimes several days of elevated stress is all that is needed to open up a gastric ulcer. Sometimes several years of it is all it takes to develop diabetes or heart disease, not to mention poor general health, lowered productivity, and lack of happiness. Doctors and scientists unanimously agree that our thoughts directly affect the activity of our organs and the state of our bodies in general. 

Ancient medicine is classified as holistic, because it takes care not only of the physical body, but also of the psyche, as well as one's personal lifestyle. This method allows one to remove the cause of the illness, rather than merely treating the symptoms, therefore stopping it from reappearing. Modern medicine, on the other hand, deals with the consequences of the illness—bodily ailments. This is why the illness often comes back, since the cause of the illness is not actually being treated.

This is where one of the biggest secrets to health reveals itself—our thoughts can heal us. There are multiple recorded stories that discuss people who were severely ill and healed themselves with the power of thought, despite doctors losing all hope. One of such impressive story tells us about Morris Goodman, who, in 1981, was involved in a plane crash and was supposed to die due to irreversible spine damage and a punctured diaphragm. 

The man's life was supported by a breathing ventilator, and the only movement he could do was blinking. However, this man was aware of the power of thought, and in just a few days successfully regenerated his own diaphragm and could breathe independently. He also consciously regenerated his damaged spinal cord and started to move all of his limbs. Doctors could not understand the situation at all because this just “could not be happening.” 

After a few months, however, Morris Goodman began to walk again, and eventually fully recovered. This is only one of many cases that are happening all around us. Thoughts cannot only make the body ill, but can also help it recover from incurable diseases.

Causes of hard to cure diseases from a different angle
The ancient ayurvedic health sciences not only prove the existence of psychosomatic illnesses, but also present a list of specific illnesses caused by specific character traits. What else could the thoughts be dependent on if not on the character?

Here are a few examples that could explain the causes of disease you or your loved ones may be suffering from:

1. Jealousy - causes oncological diseases, weakens the immune system.

2. Vengefulness - causes insomnia and throat diseases.

3. Inability to find a solution to a situation - causes lung diseases.

4. Lacking moral principals - causes chronic diseases, infections, and skin diseases.

5. Being too categorical or unwavering in beliefs - causes diabetes, migraines, and inflammations.

6. Lying - causes alcoholism, fungal infections, and weakens the immune system.

7. Aggressiveness - causes gastric ulcers, acid reflux, and warts.

8. Reticence - causes schizophrenia and kidney diseases.

9. Cruelty - causes epilepsy, asthma, and anemia.

10. Seeking conflicts - causes thyroid enlargement.

11. Apathy - causes diabetes.

12. Inconsistency or being fickle - causes infertility.

13. Being rude or insulting - causes diabetes and heart diseases.

14. Anxiety - causes digestive system disorders, heart, and skin diseases.

15. Greed - causes oncological diseases, obesity, and heart diseases.

An interesting fact is that it is enough to cure your character, and the relevant diseases go away permanently. This is especially important to know for those who suffer from diseases such as diabetes and cancer, for which modern medicine does not have a cure.

Three ways to live healthfully and truly feel good

It will involve working on yourself—however, this investment will pay off greatly in the long run. Here are three methods, tested throughout three millenniums:

1. Start monitoring your thoughts. Spend five minutes every evening writing down how you felt that day. Remember the situations you encountered and emotions you felt. What negative character traits does that uncover? What do you plan to do tomorrow to start improving yourself and to change those particular character traits? It is very important to write everything down.

2. Think more about things that make you happy. This is the miracle of positive thinking. When you concentrate on the things that you like, it's as if you move to a different frequency of vibrations, and the body starts to heal itself. Even better, there will be a greater number of good things in your life, because everything you think about becomes reality, including the problems that bother you. Concentrate on things you enjoy and watch how everything begins to change.

3. Start meditating. During meditation, the body and mind rest and heal themselves. You can read more about meditation in the article “How To Own A New Ferrari And Be As Smart As Einstein, Just By Calmly Sitting On Your Couch”.

Illness is simply our body's signal about an incorrect (or, rather, non-beneficial) lifestyle. Firstly it manifests as anxiety, fear, and negative thoughts. Only then, if no effort is made to work on oneself, the body sends a more powerful signal to get your attention and make you think about what you are doing wrong, in the form of physical symptoms.

Earth Hour: March 31, 2012

This Earth Hour 2012: 8.30pm, Saturday 31 March, celebrate your action for the planet with the people of world by switching off your lights for an hour, then go beyond the hour. 

From its inception as a single-city initiative -- Sydney, Australia - in 2007, Earth Hour has grown into a global symbol of hope and movement for change. Earth Hour 2011 created history as the world's largest ever voluntary action with people, businesses and governments in 135 countries across every continent coming together to celebrate an unambiguous commitment to the one thing that unites us all -- the planet.

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534)

Life and Teachings of Lord Gauranga:

Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) was one the most prominent Hindu saints of the 16th century. The most renowned and celebrated proponents of the Vaishnava School of Bhakti Yoga that centers around the unwavering devotion to Lord Krishna, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, is also regarded as an avatar of Lord Krishna by his followers - a Hindus sect known as Gaudiya Vaishnavas.

Gauranga's Birth and Parentage:

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, also known as, Lord Gauranga was born to Pandit Jagannath Misra and Sachi Devi at Nabadwip, on the full moon (lunar eclipsed) evening of February 18, 1486 (23rd day of the month of Falgun in the year 1407 of the Sakabda era).

His father was a pious Brahmin immigrant from Sylhet, Bangaldesh, who settled in Nabadwip in the Nadia district of West Bengal north of Kolkata by the holy Ganges, and his mother was the daughter of the scholar Nilambar Chakraborty.

He was the tenth child of his parents and was named Viswambar. Before his birth, his mother lost a number of children. So, he was given the name "Nimai" after the bitter Neem tree as a protection against evil influences. The neighbors called him "Gaur" or "Gauranga" (Gaur = fair; Anga = body) because of his fair-complexion.

Gauranga's Boyhood and Education:

Gouranga studied logic at the school of Vasudev Sarvabhauma, a reputed professor of 'Nyaya' - the ancient Indian science of law and logic. The extraordinary intellect of Gauranga attracted the attention of Raghunath, author of the famous book on logic - Didheeti. Raghunath thought that he was the most intelligent youth in the world - even more cerebral than his teacher Sarvabhauma.

Gauranga mastered all branches of Sanskrit learning such as grammar, logic, literature, rhetoric, philosophy and theology. He then started a 'Tol' or place of learning at the age of 16 - the youngest professor to be in charge of a 'Tol.'

Gauranga was a kind and compassionate, and a pure and gentle youth. He was a friend of the poor, and lived a very simple life.

Death of Gauranga's Father and Marriage:

While Gauranga was still a student, his father died. Gauranga then married Lakshmi, the daughter of Vallabhacharya. He excelled in knowledge and even defeated a reputed scholar of a nearby province. He made a tour of the eastern region of Bengal and received many valuable gifts from pious and generous householders. On his return he heard that his wife had died of snake-bite during his absence. He then married Vishnupriya.

The Turning Point in Gauranga's Life:

In 1509, Gauranga went on a pilgrimage to Gaya, in northern India, with his companions. Here he met Isvar Puri, an ascetic of the order of Madhvacharya, and took him as his guru. A marvellous change came in his life - he became a devotee of Lord Krishna. His pride of scholastics disappeared. He shouted and chanted, "Krishna, Krishna! Hari Bol, Hari Bol!". He laughed, wept, jumped, and danced in ecstasy, fell on the ground and rolled in the dust, never ate or drank.

Isvar Puri then gave Gauranga the mantra of Lord Krishna. He always remained in a meditative mood, forgetting to take food. Tears trickled down his eyes as he chanted again and again, "Lord Krishna, my Father! Where art Thou? I can't live without Thee. Thou art my sole refuge, my solace. Thou art my real father, friend, and Guru. Reveal Thy form to me ..." Sometimes Gauranga would gaze with vacant eyes, sit in the position of meditation, and concealed his tears from companions. So consumed was his love for Lord Krishna. Gauranga wanted to go to Brindavan, but his companions forcefully took him back to Nabadwip.

Gauranga Becomes an Ascetic or 'Sannyasin':

The learned and the orthodox began to hate and oppose Gauranga. But he stood adamant resolving to become an ascetic or a 'Sannyasin.' He thought within himself: "As I must get salvation for all these proud scholars and orthodox householders, I must become a Sannyasin. They will undoubtedly bow to me when they see me as a Sannyasin, and thus they will be purified, and their hearts will be filled with devotion. There is no other way of securing emancipation for them."

So, at the age of 24, Gauranga was initiated to sainthood by Swami Keshava Bharati under the name of 'Krishna Chaitanya.' His mother, the tender-hearted Sachi, was heartbroken. But Chaitanya consoled her in every possible way and carried out her wishes. He bore deep love and reverence for his mother till the end of his life.

Gauranga went on to became a great Vaishnava preacher. He disseminated the doctrines and principles of Vaishnavism far and wide. His companions Nityananda, Sanatan, Rupa, Swarup Damodar, Advaitacharya, Sribas, Haridas, Murari, Gadadhar and others helped Chaitanya in his mission.

Krishna Chaitanya’s Pilgrimages:

Chaitanya, along with his friend Nityananda, proceeded towards Orissa. He preached Vaishnavism wherever he went and held 'Sankirtans' or religious gatherings. He attracted thousands of people wherever he went. He stayed for some time at Puri and then proceeded to the south of India.

Gauranga visited the Tirupathi hills, Kancheepuram and the famous Srirangam on the banks of the Cauvery. From Srirangam he proceeded to Madurai, Rameswaram and Kanyakumari. He also visited Udipi, Pandharpur and Nasik. Up north, he visited Vrindavan, bathed in the Yamuna, and in several sacred pools, and visited the various shrines for worship. He prayed and danced in ecstasy to his heart's content. He also visited Nabadwip, his birthplace. At last Gauranga returned to Puri and settled there.

The Last Days of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu:

Chaitanya spent his last days in Puri by the Bay of Bengal. Disciples and admirers from Bengal, Vrindavan and various other places came to Puri to pay homage. Gauranga held Kirtans and religious discourses daily.

One day, in a fit of devotional ecstasy, he jumped into the water of Bay of Bengal at Puri, imagining the sea to be the holy river Yamuna. As his body was in an emaciated condition, owing to constant fasts and austerities, it floated on the water and fell into the net of a fisherman, who was fishing at night. The fisherman was extremely glad thinking he caught a big fish, and dragged the net to the shore with difficulty. He was disappointed to find a human corpse in the net. When the 'corpse' made a faint sound, the fisherman was frightened and abandoned the body. As he was slowly walking along the shore with trembling feet, he met Swaroopa and Ramananda, who were searching for their master from sunset. Swaroopa asked him if he had seen Gauranga and the fisherman narrated his story. Then Swaroopa and Ramananda hurried to the place, removed Gauranga from the net and placed him on the ground. When they sang the name of Hari, Gauranga regained his consciousness.

Before he died, Lord Gauranga said, "The chanting of Krishna's Name is the chief means of attaining Krishna's feet in the Kali Yuga. Chant the name while sitting, standing, walking, eating, in bed and everywhere, at any time. Gauranga passed away in the year 1534.

Spreading the Gospel of Sri Chaitanya:

In the 20th century, the teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu were greatly revived and brought to the West by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He is considered an incarnate of Sri Chaitanya, and credited for founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) which spread Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's bhakti tradition and the famous 'Hare Krishna' mantra throughout the world.

Based on the biography of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Manaprabhu by Swami Sivananda

Wajah Anak-Anak Derita (Malaysia Language)

Dan kau anak,

riakmu seakan keliru

dalam diam memaknakan renungan.

Maaf, anak...

aku tidak bisa memahami penderitaanmu

kerna tidak pernah memegang Kalashnikov

atau menjamah debu mortar

menadah ramah tentera bersekutu.


Abny Francis Xavier,17.2.2012.(brain-psychoneuron.blogspot.com)

Picture : Google Images

HUMAN TRAFFICKING FACT SHEET

Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery.  Victims of human trafficking are 

subjected to force, fraud, or coercion, for the purpose of sexual exploitation

or forced labor. 

Victims are young children, teenagers, men and women. 

After drug dealing, human trafficking is tied with the illegal arms industry as the 

second largest criminal industry in the world today, and it is the fastest growing.

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) defines “Severe forms of Trafficking in 

Persons” as: 

• Sex Trafficking:  the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a 

person for the purpose of a commercial sex act

, in which a commercial sex act is 

induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person forced to perform such an act 

is under the age of 18 years; or 

• Labor Trafficking:  the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a 

person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of 

subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage or slavery. 

In both forms, the victim is an unwilling participant due to force, fraud or coercion. 

Trafficking Victims

Approximately 600,000 to 800,000 victims annually are trafficked across international borders 

worldwide, according to the U.S. Department of State. These estimates include women, men 

and children.  Victims are generally trafficked into the U.S. from Asia, Central and South 

America, and Eastern Europe.  Many victims trafficked into the United States do not speak 

and understand English and are therefore isolated and unable to communicate with service 

providers, law enforcement and others who might be able to help them. 

How Victims Are Trafficked

Many victims of trafficking are forced to work in prostitution or sex entertainment.  However, 

trafficking also takes place as labor exploitation, such as domestic servitude, sweatshop 

factories, or migrant agricultural work.  Traffickers use force, fraud and coercion to compel 

women, men and children to engage in these activities. 

Force involves the use of rape, beatings and confinement to control victims. Forceful 

violence is used especially during the early stages of victimization, known as the ‘seasoning 

process’, which is used to break victim’s resistance to make them easier to control. 

Fraud often involves false offers of employment. For example, women and children will reply 

to advertisements promising jobs as waitresses, maids and dancers in other countries and 

are then forced into prostitution once they arrive at their destinations. 

Coercion involves threats of serious harm to, or physical restraint of, victims of trafficking; 

any scheme, plan or pattern intended to cause victims to believe that failure to perform an act 

would result in restraint against them; or the abuse or threatened abuse of the legal process. 

Victims of trafficking are often subjected to debt-bondage, usually in the context of paying off 

transportation fees into the destination countries. Traffickers often threaten victims with injury 

                                                

 “Exploitation” – rather than trafficking - may be a more accurate description because the crime involves making 

people perform labor or commercial sex against their will.

 As defined by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, the term ‘commercial sex act’ means any sex act, on 

account of which anything of value is given to or received by any person. 

or death, or the safety of the victim’s family back home. Traffickers commonly take away the 

victims’ travel documents and isolate them to make escape more difficult.

Victims often do not realize that it is illegal for traffickers to dictate how they have to pay off 

their debt. In many cases, the victims are trapped into a cycle of debt because they have to 

pay for all living expenses in addition to the initial transportation expenses. Fines for not 

meeting daily quotas of service or “bad” behavior are also used by some trafficking 

operations to increase debt. Most trafficked victims rarely see the money they are supposedly 

earning and may not even know the specific amount of their debt. Even if the victims sense 

that debt-bondage is unjust, it is difficult for them to find help because of language, social, 

and physical barriers that keep them from obtaining assistance.

Trafficking vs. Smuggling

Trafficking is not smuggling.  There are several important differences between trafficking and 

smuggling:

 Human Trafficking

• Victims are coerced into trafficking.  If victims do 

consent, that consent is rendered meaningless by 

the actions of the traffickers. 

• Ongoing exploitation of victims to generate illicit 

profits for the traffickers. 

• Trafficking need not entail the physical movement 

of a person (but must entail the exploitation of the 

person for labor or commercial sex).

 Migrant Smuggling

• Migrants consent to being 

smuggled. 

• Smuggling is always 

transnational. 

Help for Victims of Trafficking

Prior to the enactment of the TVPA in October 2000, no comprehensive Federal law existed 

to protect victims of trafficking or to prosecute their traffickers.  The law is comprehensive in 

addressing the various ways of combating trafficking, including prevention, protection and 

prosecution.  It is intended to prevent human trafficking overseas, to increase prosecution of 

human traffickers in the United States, and to protect victims and provide Federal and state 

assistance to certain victims. Victims of human trafficking who are not U.S. citizens are 

eligible for a special visa and can receive benefits and services through the TVPA to the 

same extent as refugees. Victims of trafficking who are U.S. citizens may already be eligible 

for many benefits due to their citizenship. 

If you think you have come in contact with a victim of human trafficking, call the National 

Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1.888.3737.888.  This hotline will help you 

determine if you have encountered victims of human trafficking, will identify local resources 

available in your community to help victims, and will help you coordinate with local social 

service organizations to help protect and serve victims so they can begin the process of 

restoring their lives.  For more information on human trafficking visit 

www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking.

Source: National Human Trafficking Resource Center 

Human Trafficking Information

Each year about 17,500 individuals are brought into the United States and held against their will as victims of human trafficking.

Some estimate the number is as high as 60,000 annually. These numbers do not include those who are here from previous years, migrants already in the US, runaways, displaced persons, and those from oppressed/marginalized groups and the poor. Combating human trafficking is a daunting task and emergency healthcare providers have a critical role to play.

Medical providers are a frontline of defense for victims - especially providers in an emergency department setting. Victims present here, often with their traffickers, and receive medical attention but not the further help they need to remove them from the environment that places their lives at risk daily.Emergency healthcare providers often miss the signs of human trafficking, mistake the signs for intimate partner violence, and are rarely aware of how to help. Instead victims are sent back "home" with their traffickers. This situation can change and it must.

Emergency care providers must identify these victims and provide the opportunity for appropriate treatment. This website contains information to give practitioners a basic introduction to what human trafficking is, the clinical presentation of such patients, and the unique treatment needs of this patient population. Click on the "Educational Tools" tab for helpful instruments in educating providers at your institution. Click on the "In the ED" tab if you suspect you are caring for a trafficked person.

1. Human Trafficking is

the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons:
by the threat or use of kidnapping, force, fraud, deception or coercion, or by the giving or receiving of unlawful payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, and for the purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labor.¹

• The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons:

Trafficking does not require transnational movement of persons; anyone can be a victim of human trafficking: documented and undocumented immigrants, migrant workers, US citizens and residents.

• By the threat or use of kidnapping, force, fraud, deception or coercion:

Trafficking can result from a real or a perceived threat; the victim only has to believe that he/she or loved ones are in danger, they do not actually have to be in danger. The victim believes that if s/he does not do what the trafficker demands, regardless of the traffickers actual ability to follow through with said threat(s), there will be dire (physical, financial, or other) consequences. Traffickers use a variety of techniques to control their victims. A hallmark of the criminal industry is the sophisticated use of psychological and financial control mechanisms, often minimizing or precluding the need for physical violence or confinement.²

Or the trafficker actually does a harmful thing, causing the victim to reasonably believe s/he has no other choice but to do as the trafficker tells her/him.

• Or by the giving or receiving of unlawful payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person:

This means that the trafficker has given another person payment, of some kind, for the use of the victim. For example, a trafficker may pay an impoverished parent for their child or a smuggler may sell a person to a trafficker.

• For the purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labor:

This simply means that the trafficker uses the trafficked person for his/her personal monetary, or other, gain. 

2. Human Trafficking targets

• An estimated 17,500 foreign nationals are trafficked annually in the United States alone. The number of US citizens trafficked within the country are even higher, with an estimated more than 200,000 American children at high risk for trafficking into the sex industry each year.³ Victims of trafficking often come from vulnerable populations, including migrants, oppressed or marginalized groups, runaways or displaced persons, and the poor.⁴

Trafficking affects both people from the US and not from the US. Sometimes the victim came, of her/his own accord, to the country and then fell into trouble; sometimes victims are duped from the very beginning; sometimes they are from the US. A victim of trafficking does not speak a particular language or have a particular race; a victim of trafficking can look like anyone.

• ~80% of trafficked persons are women and children.

This does not mean that men are not victims of trafficking. Men are more likely to be victims of forced labor (e.g.: day laborers, construction or restaurant workers, etc), while womyn and children are often exploited in the sex industry. These are not fixed rules, however, but general trends.

3. Who is a trafficker?

They may operate as individuals, families, or more organized groups of criminals, and are facilitated by other indirect beneficiaries, such as advertising, distribution, or retail companies and consumers. Both women and men act as traffickers in labor and sex trafficking operations.⁵

Traffickers may be professional or non-professional criminals because of the low-start up cost of creating a trafficking business. Trafficking is appealing because it is so lucrative: it is the third largest illegal industry worldwide. Read more about traffickers at www.HumanTrafficking.com.

4. Statistics

are often hard to come by in this field. Trafficking is an illegal industry so finding out just how many victims there are annually is difficult. Conservative estimates say that 15,000 people are trafficked into the U.S. annually, while others guess the number is high at 60,000. It is reasonable to say that whichever number or wherever in between the truth lay, the number is one too many. Finding local statistics may also be difficult, but local organizations are better equipped to tell you how big of a problem trafficking is in your area. Ideally, you need to know the number of persons trafficked locally, the number of victims presenting as emergency care patients, and the number of survivors who escaped because of hospital intervention. Also important to know are which facilities the referrals are coming from. States with the greatest concentration of trafficked persons are New York, California, and Florida; Washington DC also has a large trafficked population. Some organizations to contact for more info in this, and in all areas regarding trafficking are:

Area	Organization	Contact Info
NYC	Safe Horizon	718-943-8652
	Girls Education and Mentoring Service	212-926-8089
	The Sex Workers Project	646-602-5617
CA	Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking	213-365-1906
	Boat People SOS	703-538-2191, 2190
	Tahirih Justice Center	703-575-0070
FL	Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking	1-866-446-5600
	Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center	305-573-1106
	Florida Freedom Partnership	1-866-443-0106
	Shelter for Abused Women & Children	239-775-1101
DC	Break the Chain Campaign	202-234-9382
	Ayuda	202-387-2870 ext 10
	Polaris Project6	202-745-1001
Multiple	Salvation Army	1-800-728-7825

5. Laws

• As with statistics, laws also vary state to state, but the federal law protects trafficking victims, as does international law, and prosecutes traffickers. The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 is an important document with which to be generally familiar.

• State and federal law are very clear that minors constitute a special population that requires special protection. While the trafficking of an adult can only be reported to authorities if the adult consents, if a minor presents to a healthcare facility and is identified as a victim of abuse, this abuse must be reported.

6. What happens next?

After a trafficking victim is identified there are a few things that can happen, all of which depend on what the adult survivor wants. In an emergency setting the patient is identified as a trafficking victim and then the provider calls a help hotline or a social worker (who should contact the help hotline. The patient should be allowed to speak with the person from the hotline if s/he wants to). Then,

• if the patient decides to seek escape, the hotline will facilitate such action (an advocate may come to the healthcare facility);
• free shelter, clothing, food, healthcare, etc will be provided
• TVPA 2005 protects all trafficking victims and allows special visas (T-visas) for international victims (not-US born) if they want to stay
• the survivor can choose not to press charges against her/his trafficker at all, can choose to press charges immediately, or at a later date; free legal aid is provided

• if the adult patient decides not to seek escape, her/his wishes must be respected; it is possible that they may have another opportunity to escape, still the provider must create an environment and relationship that offers the patient every opportunity to receive help.

7. Police Corruption

This is an unfortunate but real phenomenon of our communities. It is especially unfortunate in circumstances like those that surround human trafficking because the very people who ought to aid trafficked persons cannot always be counted on to help. Sometimes victims have already had prior negative experience(s)⁷ with law enforcement, which makes them scared of police and, in general, mistrustful of institutions and people that are supposed to help. Because some police receive pay-offs from traffickers to look the other way, providers are not always aware of who can be trusted in their local police departments. Thusly, providers should not call the police when they identify a trafficked person; the help hotlines will know what to do and whom to trust in law enforcement. Furthermore, providers should assure the patient that the police will not be called without their permission.

Note that this does not mean all law enforcement are corrupt, but that those few have tainted the reputation of the institution and the result is that trafficked persons, in general, do not trust law enforcement officials. It takes a great deal of time and effort to rebuild that trust and local anti-trafficking advocates are qualified to help rebuild that trust. Law enforcement is receiving training about and in dealing with human trafficking victims, but because of victims pre- and sometimes misconceptions about police, hotlines should be called not police.

8. Medical Documentation

The standards that apply to a rape victim can be applied to a trafficking victim, regardless of whether s/he was sexually exploited, as the patient is in a fragile emotional, mental and psychological state and this condition ought to be respected in the process of medical documentation. Documentation is important not only in the event that the patient decides to involve the justice system, but also because if s/he does not choose escape at the time, a note in a patient's chart will give the next providers an important heads up about the situation (assuming the patient presents to the same healthcare facility again, using the same name).

9. Medical Treatment (for sexually exploited patients), courtesy of Kathleen Morrow, CNM, MA;

Doctors of the World-USA, Kosovo, 2005

Click on Treatment Recommendations Tab

(Note that educators need not adhere to the dosages and medications listed in this document; use your institutions standards and this document as a guide.)

10. NGOs and Trafficked Persons

Anti-trafficking non-governmental organizations offer trafficking victims a safe place to recover with the support of survivors and advocates. Temporary housing, clothing, food, healthcare, counseling, food stamps and legal aid are provided, and educational (GED and ESL classes, for example) and job opportunities are offered (all at no cost to the survivor). Anti-trafficking NGOs can also help international survivors get T-visas.

Anti-trafficking NGOs are the experts in helping trafficked persons survive beyond their escape. As advocates they are committed to the well-being of this population and some are survivors who know the population implicitly. They can answer the questions that providers have about laws, the population make-up, prominent types of trafficking in the area, and anything else about trafficking. These types of NGOs are the best resources from which to get information about and for trafficked patients. Note that all NGOs are not familiar with the needs of human trafficking; you can use section 4 of this document to help determine which groups are knowledgeable about the needs of trafficked persons.

11. The Disease of Human Trafficking

Key to understanding the emergency provider's role in the anti-trafficking movement and in treating a trafficked patient is understanding that the emergent issue, which causes the patient to present, is only a symptom of a disease: human trafficking is the disease. The same way that victims of intimate partner violence need to be removed from a dangerous living environment, trafficking victims need to be separated from their trafficker. Just as providers understand that fatigue, mental confusion, shortness of breath and pruritis may be symptoms of kidney disease, we must also acknowledge that cigarette burns, ligature marks, depression, and malnutrition may be symptoms of human trafficking. Merely treating the symptoms of kidney disease does not serve the best interests of the patient, nor does treating the symptoms of human trafficking but sending the patient back home. Human trafficking, as a disease, must be considered as a differential when a patient presents to the ED with certain symptoms.⁸

12. Illustrative Narratives

Read the stories of "Jill Leighton", "Ashek Hamid", and "Ricardo Veisaga". There are different kinds of trafficking and these stories only illustrate three. All three of these people could (or did) present as trafficking patients in an ED and all of them would demonstrate signs or symptoms of trafficking; think about who would present in what way(s).

The stories of Leighton, Hamid and Veisaga are true and give names to the millions that are counted as nameless. Emergency healthcare practitioners have a significant role to play in learning the names of these people but first providers must be made aware.

References

¹ International Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children

² http://www.humantrafficking.com/humantrafficking/trafficking_ht3/what_is_ht.htm

³ http://www.polarisproject.org/polarisproject/trafficking_p3/trafficking.htm

⁴ http://www.humantrafficking.com/humantrafficking/trafficking_ht3/what_is_ht.htm

⁵ http://www.humantrafficking.com/humantrafficking/trafficking_ht3/who_traffickers.htm

⁶ Polaris Project can also be used as an avenue to find non-governmental organizations in your area that do anti-trafficking work.

⁷ E.g.: Officers are sometimes the very johns that exploit sexual workers or sex trafficking victims may have been harassed or arrested for prostitution.

⁸ Refer to 'educational tools' tab, PowerPoint slides 12 and 13.