#Volunteerstories: Vanessa Kohler
“Working with Save the Children Lithuania I had my first professional contact with the issue of human trafficking. As part of a campaign against human trafficking in Eastern Europe, I got to know the theoretical framework and learned, in particular, about vulnerable populations and the prevention of human trafficking.
Closing the project with an investigation, I was left wanting to know more. I wanted to get to know the area of care for victims of human trafficking.
On the website of ECPAT, a global network of NGOs seeking to eliminate, among other crimes, the trafficking of children and adolescents for the purpose of sexual exploitation, I came across CHS Alternativo in Peru. It caught my attention because the NGO has programs of attention and advocacy.
By following up and monitoring cases of human trafficking and sexual exploitation, I learned a great deal, for example, about how the theoretical framework is applied in reality.
I learned about the conditions of some families and how they manifest themselves in the vulnerability of their members with respect to the issue. I found a reality very different from mine.
During my time at the NGO I reflected a lot on the differences of the problem in Europe and also worked trying to understand more about global structures, especially of the economy and daily consumption and their connections to the exploitation of human beings.
I always tried to express my thoughts and opinions in order to maintain communication and to understand the subject in its complexity. Working with different professionals I had the opportunity to get to know other points of view and how they work multidisciplinary in a team.
Living in Peru I met people who let me experience their customs and traditions, knowing their values. I end my internship feeling very grateful for having given me the opportunity to be part of the NGO. I feel committed to continue dedicating myself to the issue of vulnerable populations.
And I’d like to tell the team that I respect them very much, as well as their work. I leave the country impressed and inspired.”