Opioid use in the United States is skyrocketing. Overdose deaths have increased 433% in

the last decade and will continue climbing. In addition to the mortality caused by illicit

opioid misuse, morbidity rates have also risen. People Who Inject Drugs (PWID)

demonstrate higher rates of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Hepatitis C Virus

(HCV), Endocarditis, Persistent Abscesses, Staphylococcus Aureus (S. aureus, Staph)

and other skin infections. This thesis serves as (1) a systematic review of the differences

in health conditions experienced by PWID and (2) an examination of the trends in skin

and soft tissue infection from a small sample in Phoenix, Arizona. The author argues that

PWID suffer from an increased rate of comorbid conditions associated with substance

use. Targeted social work interventions could be useful in reducing the rates of disease

and their impact on the individual and community.

Community organizing can be defined as “the coordination of cooperative efforts and campaigning carried out by local residents to promote the interests of their community” (Oxford Dictionary). Yet this term can be interpreted differently based on the interests and issues of a community and those who seek to serve it. Since community organizations are commonly structured to address community needs, their efforts are very different depending on the demographics, regions, and capabilities of the organization itself and its constituencies. The details of community organizing are best understood by learning from current organizations working to reflect the identities and issues of the communities they work for. The current research sought to understand how community organizations operate - from the decision-making process, to coalition-building, to hiring, and beyond - as well as how their impact works in relation to national advocacy efforts. The analyses found within this research can inform audiences on how community organizations measure impact, how they choose to engage in building people power, and how to become involved with these types of organizations.

Human trafficking is the focus of this study and explaining the ways different communities in the world handle their specific concerns of human trafficking, with a focus on a nonprofit in each community. Human trafficking is a global issue and different communities address it in different ways. Human trafficking is the focus of this study and explaining the ways different communities in the world handle their specific concerns of human trafficking, with a focus on a nonprofit in each community. This thesis will focus on how three communities- Ghana, France and Spain, in the world are working with human trafficking victims. Field research at each site was conducted including meetings with service providers to explore the issue of human trafficking in the region including the laws, victimization patterns, and how the community was responding to the problem. A set of questions was asked at each site and this thesis is the summation of the findings from the field research. This study was approved by the Arizona State University Institution Review Board, (see Appendix A). The overall findings of this study found that each community need is very different, so each community response has been tailored to the victims of trafficking and what they require and must include the victim in the solution. Each location has different victims, locations and responses.
Keywords: sex trafficking, France, Ghana, human trafficking, NGO, research, Spain