{"id":5596,"date":"2019-03-05T14:59:16","date_gmt":"2019-03-05T19:59:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/?p=5596"},"modified":"2023-01-09T11:26:04","modified_gmt":"2023-01-09T16:26:04","slug":"stopping-traffic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/stopping-traffic\/","title":{"rendered":"Stopping Traffic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<header class=\"wp-block-magazine-hero alignfull is-style-halfwidth-left\"><div class=\"media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"object-position: 50.21% 39.42%\" src=\"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of Karen Silva in her white coat\" width=\"2749\" height=\"3300\" class=\"wp-image-5186\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS.jpg 2749w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS-250x300.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS-768x922.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS-853x1024.jpg 853w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS-1120x1344.jpg 1120w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS-560x672.jpg 560w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS-280x336.jpg 280w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS-320x384.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS-640x768.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS-2048x2458.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS-1536x1844.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS-1400x1681.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS-1024x1229.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS-828x994.jpg 828w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS-360x432.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS-9x11.jpg 9w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2749px) 100vw, 2749px\" \/><\/div><div class=\"textcontainer\" style=\"background-color:#5668a8\"><div class=\"textcontainer-centering\"><h1 class=\"story-title\">Stopping Traffic<\/h1><div class=\"story-subhead\">Karen Silva is training health care workers in Los Angeles to spot and assist individuals trapped in labor and sex trafficking operations. <\/div><div class=\"story-byline\">By Meeri Kim<br \/>Photo by John Davis<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/header>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">As Karen Silva \u201900M learned more about human trafficking, she came to the realization that this form of modern-day slavery was happening everywhere around her. Silva came to the U.S. as a nurse from Brazil\u2014a country with high rates of sex and labor trafficking\u2014at the age of 24. Now, nearly 30 years later, she has made it her personal mission to train hospital staff to recognize the signs of human trafficking and help aid the victims. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"wp-block-magazine-aside\">\n<header class=\"wp-block-magazine-aside-header aside-header\"><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-you-can-help\">How You Can Help<\/h2><\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-magazine-aside-body aside-body\">\n<p>Human trafficking victims are often \u201chidden right in front of us\u201d says the U.S. Department of State\u2019s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Common indicators to a trafficking situation can include persons living with their employer or with multiple people in cramped conditions, and persons showing a reluctance to speak individually\u2014or, when doing so, providing scripted answers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you suspect such an occurrence, the office recommends you call 911 or the National Human Trafficking Hotline at <a href=\"tel:+18883737888\">888-373-7888<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHuman trafficking has unfortunately become more common because it\u2019s a very profitable criminal business,\u201d says Silva, who today is an education program coordinator and instructor of psychiatry at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. \u201cA lot of criminals are letting go of drug trafficking and going into human trafficking because they can use the same commodity over and over, unlike with drugs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thousands of human trafficking cases are reported in the U.S. each year, but since victims rarely come forward to seek help, many more cases go unnoticed. Victims are hidden in plain sight at nightclubs, truck stops, factories, and farms. Anyone can fall prey to traffickers, regardless of a person\u2019s race, gender, citizenship, or age. However, certain states like Texas, Florida, and Silva\u2019s home state of California suffer from higher rates of human trafficking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHere in California, we have one of the highest rates of human trafficking in the U.S.,\u201d says Silva. \u201cIt is a border state, and there\u2019s Hollywood of course, so a lot of young people come here to pursue their dreams and fall into the traps of traffickers, who lure them in with false promises of work or educational opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Health care practitioners\u2014in particular those who work in emergency departments\u2014are well-positioned to identify and assist victims. A 2014 study found that 88 percent of sex trafficking survivors had some contact with health care professionals while being trafficked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since 2017, Silva and a team that includes a lawyer, social workers, and other nurses, have trained almost 600 Cedars-Sinai staff members on how to recognize signs of human trafficking. Silva\u2019s team gives lectures that include background information on the issue, such as different types of human trafficking and how traffickers lure victims and keep them trapped. The team also presents common behavioral and physical indications to watch for that might show someone is being trafficked: certain injuries, tattoos or brands, implanted chips, inappropriate clothing, and someone else speaking for the person seeking care. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite being less than two years old, the initiative has already raised awareness and helped victims. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis year, staff members at Cedars-Sinai were able to detect 20 victims of human trafficking\u2014and 10 of them accepted help,\u201d says Silva, who received her M.S. in nursing and her post-master\u2019s certificate in forensic nursing at Monmouth University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition, she holds a doctorate in psychology and says her \u201cday job\u201d at the hospital involves teaching other nurses how to work with particularly vulnerable patients. Silva responds to psychiatric emergencies in the hospital, works side-by-side with nurses at the patient\u2019s bedside, works on ways to prevent patient falls, and troubleshoots problems in the care unit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m a jack of all trades, and my job is not limited to one or two things,\u201d she says. \u201cBut this project on human trafficking education is going to go on forever. I think the issue is that important.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Karen Silva is training health care workers in Los Angeles to spot and assist individuals trapped in labor and sex trafficking operations. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":5186,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"image_focus":"","hide_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-back"],"thumbnail":"<img width=\"250\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS-250x300.jpg\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-5186 wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" role=\"presentation\" style=\"object-position:50% 50%;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS-250x300.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS-768x922.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS-853x1024.jpg 853w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS-1120x1344.jpg 1120w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS-560x672.jpg 560w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS-280x336.jpg 280w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS-320x384.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS-640x768.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS-2048x2458.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS-1536x1844.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS-1400x1681.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS-1024x1229.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS-828x994.jpg 828w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS-360x432.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS-9x11.jpg 9w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2019\/02\/44-Karen-Silva-0065-JOHN-DAVIS.jpg 2749w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/>","catString":"The Back","issue":"Spring 2019","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5596","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5596"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5596\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16678,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5596\/revisions\/16678"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5186"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}