Labor trafficking of migrant registered nurses.

BACKGROUND: Labor trafficking of registered nurses (RNs) in the USA impedes justice by denying inalienable human rights and equal economic opportunities. Nursing shortages in developed countries, poverty, social upheaval, and government actions influence migration, as do other factors related to determinants of health. Migrant RNs are visa workers, displaced, refugees, immigrants, or asylum seekers. Labor traffickers target vulnerable migrant RNs seeking employment outside their home country. Unlike ethical recruiters, traffickers lure migrant RNs into indentured contracts in work environments that result in health-threatening conditions, long shifts, and exorbitant fines that threaten families with financial retribution. PURPOSE: The purpose of the paper is to raise awareness. METHODS: Authors explain the background of influences and nuances in migrant RN labor trafficking. DISCUSSION: Identifying labor traffickers' deceitful, coercive, fraudulent, and illegal methods, assist organizational approaches for establishing Total Worker Health, trauma-informed care, coordinated community response, and No Door Closed actions when wanting to mitigate or eradicate labor trafficking of migrant RNs.

Overcoming the "Holy Hush": A Qualitative Examination of Protestant Christian Leaders' Responses to Intimate Partner Violence.

Described as a "holy hush," past research has noted a general silence about and reluctance to address intimate partner violence (IPV) in religious congregations. To explore this, we interviewed 20 Protestant Christian religious leaders about how they understood and responded to IPV. Based on a thematic content analysis, our study revealed some of the challenges, tensions, and complexities that may be barriers to leaders speaking about and responding to IPV, and also the ways religious leaders in our sample attempted to overcome these challenges. For example, results revealed religious leaders understood violence on a gradation from less to more severe, and linked a need for and type of response to the level of violence. Throughout, religious leaders expressed a tension between their leadership role and responding to IPV. Furthermore, religious leaders acknowledged their need for greater training and connections to service providers, however, they reported not currently being connected to other IPV resources or organizations in the community. We discuss how the findings illuminate challenges and tensions for religious leaders in responding to IPV and how some leaders in this study were navigating these tensions to respond. We also discuss how findings may inform future research and the development of trainings and protocols for religious leaders and congregations on responding to IPV, promoting survivor safety, and fostering a greater understanding of IPV. Implications for collaboration with other community-based IPV organizations are also discussed.

Coordinated Community Response Components for Victims of Intimate Partner Violence: A Review of the Literature.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women is a serious problem throughout the world. Each year a substantial number of women experience psychological, physical, and sexual aggression from an intimate partner, with many women experiencing serious mental and physical health outcomes as a result of their victimization. A number of services are available to women who sustain IPV (e.g., shelters, advocacy, legal protection), and the combination of these services has been termed a Coordinated Community Response (CCR) to IPV. The purpose of the present manuscript is to review the individual components of CCRs for IPV victims, examine the extant literature on a number of the individual CCR components, and suggest directions for future research on CCRs for IPV victims. Our review demonstrates that there is a significant lack of research on various CCR components, that research on the integration of CCR services is limited, and that theoretical guidance for CCR programs is almost non-existent. Directions for improving research on CCR components are suggested.

Stakeholder Group Differences on Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perspectives of Coordinated Community Response Teams for Domestic Violence.

The goal of the mixed methods parallel design observational study was to examine belief, attitude, and knowledge differences among stakeholder groups in a coordinated community response team (CCRT). A second purpose was to assess the perceived strengths, weaknesses, and barriers to success of a CCRT for domestic violence (DV). Participants were members of a CCRT from victim advocacy, law enforcement, and court-affiliated agencies. Results demonstrate differences among stakeholder groups on myth acceptance, knowledge of DV, diversity beliefs, cultural competence, and trauma knowledge. The results provide guidance on how to improve CCRTs for DV, focusing on cross-training, cultural competence, and clarification of roles and procedures.

Proposing a Unified Framework for Coordinated Community Response.

The CSW65 agreed conclusions call for a multisectoral coordinated response to all forms of violence against women. The term coordinated community response (CCR) is commonly used in various models of such a response. However, the term itself has different meanings to various actors in the sector, and therefore it is difficult to evaluate its success with any degree of certainty. This article seeks to (i) propose a broader unified framework for thinking about the term; (ii) remove any underlying assumptions of its positive or negative connotations; and (iii) revisit the term from a theoretical standpoint. The goal of this effort is to (a) guide policy, programming, and advocacy efforts across different sectors that respond to VAW; (b) provide clarity to practitioners in the implementation of a CCR; and (c) make its effectiveness measurable in different contexts.

Challenges to an Individualized Approach Toward Batterers Intervention Programs in the Context of Coordinated Community Response to the Intimate Partner Violence in Lithuania.

Purpose: Although batterers' intervention programs (BIPs) constitute an important part of the coordinated response to intimate partner violence (IPV) and contribute to increasing the perpetrators' accountability and keeping victims safe, the effectiveness of these programs is still debated. Only recently has the focus of these debates shifted away from researching outcomes by measuring overall program effectiveness toward specific qualities of interventions across program models that may be effective for the distinct client (Babcock et al., Clinical Psychology Review, 23(8), 1023-1053, 2004; Zarling et al., Psychology of Violence, 9(3), 257-266, 2019). The discussion on the practical implementation of BIPs was supplemented by various significant concepts emerging from new empirical findings, such as differential treatment, motivational interviewing, and effective facilitator-client alliances (Hamel et al., Partner Abuse, 11(4), 387-414, 2020; Holtrop et al., Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 32(8), 1267-1290, 2017). This paper aimed to address some of the abovementioned concepts by identifying challenges that arise during the implementation of BIPs in Lithuania. Methods: Using qualitative data from semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with BIPs facilitators, BIPs attendees, and various stakeholders, the paper discusses how to contribute to more effective BIPs outcomes. Results: According to this study, the process of implementing BIPs in Lithuania should be systematized by incorporating existing instruments, such as motivational interviewing, risk-based assessment, and differential treatment, evidence-based programs focused on different theoretical approaches, and forms of implementation. Conclusion: The study found that the consistency and integrity of the entire BIP implementation process should be prioritized, and institutional cooperation in Lithuania needs to be improved to achieve a successful coordinated response to intimate partner violence.

The Need for New Emphasis on Batterers Intervention Programs.

Although Batterers' Intervention Programs (BIPs) remain a crucial part of victim safety and coordinated community responses, they have received less support and less attention by scholars than other parts of the domestic violence system. Research on BIPs also suggests that they have not been particularly effective at preventing recidivism, are prone to attrition, and increasingly lack the support and confidence of the courts. Nevertheless, BIPs remain one of the few viable alternatives to incarceration for perpetrators of domestic violence. This article examines the historical and empirical reasons for the apparent lack of effectiveness of BIPs. New research suggests avenues for improvement. This begins with incorporating existing research findings, consistency in implementation of best practice models, better diagnosis of personality characteristics of perpetrators and of types of violence that characterize their relationships as well as better funding and support for research. In addition, differentiated treatment approaches tailored to the abuser and their particular types of violence may hold promise-and require increased support by the research and practice communities.

Coordinated Community Efforts to Respond to Sexual Assault: A National Study of Sexual Assault Response Team Implementation.

Sexual Assault Response Teams (SARTs) bring together sexual assault responders (e.g., police, prosecutors, medical/forensic examiners, rape victim advocates) to coordinate and improve the response to sexual assault. Ultimately, SARTs seek to improve sexual assault victims' experiences of seeking help and sexual assault case outcomes in the criminal justice system. To date, there are hundreds of SARTs across the United States and yet, there has been no nationally representative study of how SARTs are implemented. Therefore, the current study used a multistep process to create the first sampling frame of SARTs and then studied how SARTs are structured and function within a random sample of SARTs. Findings reveal commonalities as well as variation across SARTs. Most SARTs rated improving legal outcomes, improving victims' help-seeking experiences, and prevention/education as important goals, yet most prioritized their time and energy toward victims' experiences. SARTs' membership varied, with an average of 12 organizations involved in the SART, and 75% of SARTs having active membership from police, prosecutors, rape victim advocates, and medical/forensic examiners. SARTs were moderately formalized and most SARTs engaged in most collaborative processes (e.g., multidisciplinary cross-training, case review, policy/protocol development, and review) on an as needed basis. Finally, results revealed that some types of cross-system coordination in responding to victims/cases were quite frequent, whereas other types of coordination were quite infrequent. Implications for future research and supporting the development and sustainability of SARTs are discussed.

Examining Systems Change in the Response to Domestic Violence: Innovative Applications of Multilevel Modeling.

Facilitating systems change in the response to domestic violence has been touted as a central goal in the effort to hold systems accountable and create a coordinated response for survivors. However, examination of systems change and whether particular social change efforts (e.g., coordinating councils) contribute to such change is a notoriously difficult research endeavor due in large part to methodological barriers, including those that stem from nonexperimental designs and complex data that are characterized as nested and measured in proportions. This article describes important methodological challenges and proposes innovative techniques to address these challenges. Specifically, multilevel modeling is applied to examine two key systems markers, including protection order and domestic violence program referral rates over time in one state. For each marker, the methodological approach is highlighted and innovations in employing multilevel modeling are discussed.