2015 HOD: Indiana Chapter Recommendation: Human Trafficking

Published: July 5, 2015

This is 1 of 5 in our 2015 House of Delegates Blog Series. Our Delegates and Alternate Delegate convened to review each of the 3 Recommendations and each of the 2 Position Statements. We've provided a pros and cons section for each. Please read and offer your thoughts on this year's Recommendations and Position Statements. You can earn FREE MA Chapter education! Get to know more about the House of Delegates and this year's Recommendations and Position Statements by clicking here.

Recommendation: Indiana Chapter Recommendation (Human Trafficking)

Whereas:

● human trafficking is a form of modern day slavery and involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to exploit human beings for some type of labor or commercial sex purpose,

● millions of men, women, and children worldwide, including in the United States, are victims of human trafficking,

● victims are often lured with false promises of well paying jobs or are manipulated by people they trust, but instead are forced, coerced, or drugged into prostitution, domestic servitude, farm or factory labor, and/or other types of forced labor,

● human trafficking is a worldwide problem that can and is affecting Massage Therapists in the neighborhoods and regions where they work,

● the American Massage Therapy Association strives to be in step with national and state issues that affect our members, chapters, and the massage profession as a whole,

● members’ safety, professional standards, professionalism, and the betterment of the massage profession is a part of the American Massage Therapy Association’s Core Values and Vision,

● included in the American Massage Therapy Association’s Strategic Plan, public safety is a concern in all elements of the massage profession,

● human trafficking is a professional and public policy issue that relates to the mission and goals of the American Massage Therapy Association,

● local, state, and/or federal law enforcement, including Homeland Security, are doing their best to resolve this difficult and far reaching problem found in every state,

● the American Massage Therapy Association, when asked, should be prepared to support and/or assist any law enforcement agency or other organizations in combating human trafficking,

● the American Massage Therapy Association should provide members, chapters, and staff information on the growing issues of human trafficking in the form of publications and workshops developed especially for massage therapists on how to recognize and report human trafficking to proper agencies and/or authorities,

● a work group/operations committee may also create a position statement for submission by a delegate to the House of Delegates, addressing the position the American Massage Therapy Association takes on “Human Trafficking”, and all efforts should be taken to keep our members safe.

Therefore be it resolved, that the House of Delegates recommend to the National Board of Directors that a work group or operations committee be established to research and recommend a plan that the American Massage Therapy Association can use to develop support material and create a guide for working with Homeland Security, the Human Trafficking Task Force, and other organizations working on human trafficking.

Pros:

1) Should AMTA get involved with providing members information on how to recognize & report those suspected of human trafficking & who to report it to?

2) Should AMTA provide names of legitimate COMTA approved massage schools vs. those that are generating & selling falsified credentials?

3) Should AMTA provide a link to an 800 # or tip line to report those suspected of human trafficking?

4) Should AMTA develop workshops on human trafficking to educate the members to help keep them safe?

5) Should AMTA develop a relationship with the Department of Homeland Security & Human Trafficking Division to be on the right side of this issue?

Cons:

1) Should the AMTA get involved ?

2) Do the members think that this is even an issue for the profession?

3) Is the Dept. of Homeland Security already too involved in people’s privacy?

Thoughts? Comments? Ideas? Please post in our comments section below. You can earn FREE education just by doing so!

Please continue to visit the AMTA-MA's blog over the next few weeks as our 2015 HOD Blog Series will cover each Recommendation and Position Statement. Each blog post will have a pros and cons section created by our AMTA-MA Chapter-elected delegates. We invite you to share your thoughts in the comments section of our blogs. Check your inbox the week of JULY 26TH. We'll be sending out a brief survey to enlist your feedback on these recommendations and position statements. Anyone who comments on any of our blogs, on HOD-related social media posts on Facebook or Twitter, or by completing our survey will be entered into a raffle for a $75 chapter education credit! That is equal to one full day of education! Make sure you can receive our emails by signing up here.