“Were there none who were discontented with what they have, the world would never reach anything better.”
- Florence Nightingale
educate. equip. empower.
MISSION, PURPOSE & VISION
Nurses United Against Human Trafficking (NUAHT) is an organization founded in 2020 by two nurses who are driven to abolish modern-day slavery. NUAHT offers education modules, membership, resources, and consulting services for healthcare professionals, by building human trafficking protocols and community response teams.
NUAHT is committed to eradicating human trafficking by raising awareness, providing education and resources, and participating in advocacy efforts, all for the hope of emboldening and empowering healthcare professionals, by establishing best practices and standards of care for this vulnerable and invisible population.
OUR MISSION
OUR PURPOSE
The purpose of NUAHT is to provide human trafficking educational content, resources, current research and trends; to offer powerful insight regarding advocacy efforts for legislative/policy initiatives; and to establish best practices in care for this marginalized population with the overall aim of developing and empowering nursing experts and healthcare professionals throughout the country and around the world.
Our professional association establishes a standard of care for this marginalized, invisible population with vast healthcare needs. Much like in the 1980s when HIV/AIDS was a new frontier ripe for change, so is the current healthcare landscape regarding human trafficking. Our team provides a collective voice and is to be a credentialing body for healthcare educational initiatives and care implementation with this specialized population.
OUR VISION
LATEST BREAKING NEWS
May 20, 2025
UF College of Nursing First in Nation to Offer Anti-Human Trafficking Certificate Through Partnership with NUAHT
We, at NUAHT, are thrilled to announce the news surrounding this powerful and strategic partnership with the highly esteemed and widely recognized University of Florida College of Nursing.
“Nurses are uniquely positioned on the frontlines of patient care, often encountering victims of trafficking without realizing it,” said Shakira Henderson, PhD, DNP, MS, MPH, MBA, IBCLC, RNC-NIC, dean of the UF College of Nursing and UF Health system chief nurse executive. “This new certificate program is designed to empower nurses with actionable training to identify signs of trafficking, understand the complexities of victim trauma and connect individuals to safety and resources.”
Developed by NUAHT experts, the certificate program offers evidence-based content tailored specifically for nursing professionals. It covers topics such as trauma-informed care, legal considerations, cultural competency and multidisciplinary collaboration.
“Human trafficking is a crisis that infiltrates all demographics, cultures, societies and geographical locations,” said Francine Bono-Neri, PhD, RN, APRN, PNP, FAAN, co-founder and president of NUAHT. “It impacts every aspect of daily life. As members of society, each of us has a moral and ethical duty to participate in combating it. The UF College of Nursing is fulfilling that duty by properly educating, equipping and empowering its students, faculty and community to address this humanitarian crisis by providing comprehensive education to disrupt its evil cycle.”
Read more about this exciting news here.
November 2, 2024
We are beyond excited to announce that our Co-founder & President, Dr. Francine Bono-Neri, has been inducted as a Fellow into the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN)
Please help us in congratulating her on this lifetime achievement in recognition for the global impact that NUAHT
is having in combating human trafficking!
September 1, 2024
EXCITING PARTNERSHIP NEWS - NUAHT PARTNERS WITH NurseBrain® TO ASSIST IN IDENTIFYING AND RESPONDING TO VICTIMS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR BY LEVERAGING AI TO COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Healthcare professionals encounter patients during their most vulnerable moments. These moments are opportunities to offer support that extend far beyond immediate medical care. Today, NurseBrain is introducing a new feature in its app that aims to help nurses identify and support potential victims of human trafficking.
Understanding the Gravity
Human trafficking is a pervasive issue that affects an exponential number of people in the United States alone. What's particularly striking is how often these individuals interact with healthcare systems, as studies have found that approximately 70% - 90% of human trafficking survivors had reported contact with healthcare providers while being trafficked, yet the majority of them were never identified nor offered services for their exploitation. Additionally, studies consistently show that healthcare professionals lack formal training on human trafficking and anti-trafficking measures, and have little confidence in knowing how to identify or respond to these individuals. These statistics highlight a crucial gap – one that nurses are uniquely positioned to address.
A Compassionate Approach
Through the partnership of NurseBrain and NUAHT, a new feature within NurseBrain is available to support nurses with this important work. This update, which has been seamlessly integrated into nurses' existing workflow, will provide prompts and guidance when needed by:
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AI-Assisted Screening: As nurses enter patient information into the SBAR summary, AI will quietly analyze the data for potential indicators of human trafficking. If any are detected, nurses will see a notification in the new Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) section under Recommendations.
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Supportive Resources: A comprehensive guide in the Tools section, offering trauma-informed approaches to patient interactions and clear steps for providing support and resources to potential trafficking survivors.
Empowering Through Knowledge
NurseBrain, in partnership with NUAHT, not only has this newly integrated feature, but is also promoting the comprehensive NUAHT training to further educate, equip, and empower its users for those who want to deepen their understanding and skills in this area.
Thank you, NurseBrain, for this important work and for this powerful partnership!
NUAHT BREAKING NEWS
May 8, 2024
We are thrilled and beyond proud to share the incredible news about our Co-founder & President!
Dr. Francine Bono-Neri, PhD, RN, APRN, PNP was recognized at the United Nations in New York City for the global impact she, and NUAHT, are having across the world.
Dr. Bono-Neri was selected as the recipient of both the
2024 Inspiring Global Nurse Award
&
2024 International Ceca Award
Please help us in celebrating this profound achievement and highest honor of global recognition!
February 12, 2024
Our President and Co-founder, Dr. Francine Bono-Neri, was invited to the headquarters of the Department of Homeland Security Center for Countering Human Trafficking (CCHT) in Washington, D.C.
The CCHT and NUAHT signed an official Blue Campaign partnership agreement that will serve in fostering collaboration and communication between the organizations, all for the purpose of anti-trafficking measures to assist individuals who are caught in the throes of trafficking.
NUAHT & TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY PARTNER AND WIN
INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE CONTRACT
We, as Nurses United Against Human Trafficking, P.A., are beyond excited and proud to make this official announcement!
We have partnered with Texas A&M University's Center of Excellence in Forensic Nursing and were selected for the Forensic Nursing Consultation Program (FNCP) to provide this much needed advancement in forensic health care-related practices across all of
Many thanks to all involved in making this initiative come to fruition!
NUAHT'S GROUNDBREAKING STUDY
HAS BEEN PUBLISHED
Research article:
Nursing students’ knowledge of and exposure to human trafficking content in undergraduate curricula
CLICK BELOW TO ACCESS IT
CLICK ON IMAGE TO WATCH
OUR YOUTUBE SHORTS
NUAHT TRAILER
NUAHT HAS BEEN NurseApproved
