The Historical Roots of Human Trafficking: Informing Primary Prevention of Commercialized Violence

Makini Chisolm-Straker, MD, MPH has served in the anti-trafficking field for over 15 years. She conducts original public health research about human trafficking; for example, Dr. Chisolm-Straker collaborated with Covenant House New Jersey to develop the first validated, labor and sex trafficking screening tool (for use among young adults experiencing homelessness). Dr. Chisolm-Straker educates clinicians on how to serve this patient population and advises and collaborates with policymakers on ethical, inclusive, person-centered anti-trafficking prevention and intervention efforts. She served on the S.O.A.R. initiative of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop a comprehensive, introductory educational program for healthcare practitioners serving patients with trafficking experience. Dr. Chisolm-Straker is interested in how primary prevention rooted in history and understanding of systems and intersectionality of experiences lead to effective anti-trafficking action. Dr. Chisolm-Straker earned her Medical Doctorate and Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and her Master of Public Health with a Certificate in Public Health and Humanitarian Aid from Columbia University in New York City.

Katherine Chon, MPA is a Bloomberg American Health Initiative Fellow at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, in Baltimore, Maryland, focused on violence prevention based on eighteen years of experience developing organizations and shaping strategies to combat human trafficking.  Ms. Chon is the founding director of the Office on Trafficking in Persons at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), strengthening the Nation’s public health response to human trafficking through data-driven policies, programs, and primary prevention.  She is the federal executive officer of the National Advisory Committee on the Sex Trafficking of Childrenand Youth in the United States and serves on numerous federal interagency working groups including the Senior Policy Operating Group of the President’s Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. Prior to government service, Ms. Chon was the co-founder and president of Polaris, establishing the global organization’s innovative programs to assist survivors of trafficking, expand anti-trafficking policies, and fundamentally change the way local communities respond to human trafficking.  Ms. Chon is an advisor to Brown University’s Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice and a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Committee on Approaches to Estimating the Prevalence of Human Trafficking in the United States.  She received her Master in Public Administration from Harvard University Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Any views expressed within this textbook are solely those of the respective authors and editors and do not necessarily represent the views of HHS or the United States.