Human trafficking is a crisis confronting every state, but the Southeast encounters it at an alarming rate. Estimates show that up to 40 percent of all domestic trafficking occurs in the region, and the I-20 corridor between Birmingham and Atlanta is known to have the highest incidence of human trafficking in the United States.

Children are among the most vulnerable to exploitation, many of whom fall prey to their abusers between the age of 12 and 14 years and remain victimized into adulthood.  Survivors of human trafficking frequently have complex health issues including mental and behavioral disorders, drug addictions, aggravated chronic diseases, and an alarming lack of health knowledge. 

Fortunately, UAB, along with our pediatric partner Children’s of Alabama, is in a unique position to address this challenge. We have a program of coordinated medical care for the special needs of the victims of child trafficking. UAB is the medical home in our state for these victims. We seek to provide the cohesive services to address both needs for acute stabilization, as well as create wrap-around services through community partnerships, to promote sustained recovery and rehabilitation of the children.   

We are committed to Ending Child Trafficking in Alabama. If you would like to support this effort, please make a gift at https://go.uab.edu/childtrafficking    

For more information, please contact Andrea Martin, Senior Director of Development, Heersink School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, at 205.638.9623, or, amartin@peds.uab.edu.