Bruises. Cigarette burns. Branding. It's hard not to notice them.
In more cases than we realize, these are some of the physical warning signs of human trafficking. Right now, an estimated 100,000 children are being traded into forced labor and sex in the United States.
Even more sobering: Researchers have found as many as 88 percent of these victims interact with health care professionals while they're being exploited, but few are trained to recognize it. A program at the University of Louisville is trying to change that.
RELATED: UofL, Harvard and USF provide model for medical schools to teach the signs of human trafficking
In the last three years, researchers from UofL's School of Medicine have implemented a new training to recognize victims of human trafficking. The program, known as the Medical Student Instruction in Global Human Trafficking, or M-SIGHT, is also being tested at Harvard University and the University of South Florida. It utilizes online learning, medical documentation and standardized patient-based simulation to prepare students to see the signs of human trafficking.
The day-long training was developed by UofL doctors who spent years in the dark on the issue.
Dr. Olivia Mittel, an associate professor of pediatrics at UofL and Norton Children's Hospital, met with staff and faculty at the school and began researching ways to fill the training gap. She now oversees the newer curriculum for third-year med students.
"When I learned about it, how prevalent it was here in Kentucky among our teens, I thought back to some patients and realized I'd missed patients that have been trafficked, because I didn't know to look for it, to ask the questions," Dr. Mittel said.
Students are taught proper body language and communication skills to gain the patient's trust.
"Are you asking open-ended questions? Are you allowing them enough time to answer you? Are you sitting behind a computer or are you writing down constantly. Honestly, unless you're told to do those things, it can be hard to understand," Dr. Jennie Green, with UofL's Department of Forensic Medicine said.
To date, more than 450 students have gone through the training at UofL and more are in the process, joining in on a nationwide message, if you see something, say something.
Those from Attorney General Andy Beshear's office say last year human trafficking made more money than Google, Nike and Starbucks combined.
If you suspect human trafficking or child abuse, you are required to report it to police and child protective services.