Iterview with Manuel Albano, rapporteur for Human Trafficking in Portugal

For the CEINAV project the portuguese team conducted an interview with Manuel Albano, rapporteur for human trafficking in Portugal.

The following is an extract from the interview, read the full Interview here.

CEINAV: Dr. Manuel Albano, can you identify the diverse tendencies that concern Human Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation?

MA: There are tendencies - note that these are not European tendencies, but mostly national tendencies -  that try to push this issue away from the area of equality, because they consider that this is a criminal problematic, not a gender equality issue. This is against the Palermo Protocol, which clearly states that the focus must be given to equality issues, to gender issues. That means that trafficking must be viewed and worked on from a gender perspective.

Therefore, it’s important to realize that the problematic and the gender view for this doesn’t have anything to do with any theorization. It has to do, objectively, with the main target affected, which are still women. The number of men and children trafficked has also increased, due to trafficking for labour exploitation purposes, such as mendacity. When we work with victims, female and male, we understand that the dynamics are completely different. In other words, a man, when he’s found in this situation, mostly wants to quickly return to his home place. He’s not very concerned with the support that may exist here, what he wants is to go out, to be free, to return back home. A woman has completely different characteristics: she appeals for a more specific support, a more continuous and differentiated help on this level.

The 1st National Plan against Human Trafficking came out from the experience of the Project CAIM. We presented the first draft. We also managed to have the discernment to call someone from the outside, Dr. Fernanda Rodrigues, the project consultant. There were hours and hours, days and days of discussion, in order to achieve something, so we could have the guideline we now have, to establish all those dynamics. This was a process down to top. That’s why people, a lot of them, identified themselves with all the created instruments, because they built them. It wasn’t a process that someone imposed, no, people identified with it. I’d say that, in Portugal, this project is striking and makes a difference in this area, fully; I have no doubt about it.

An example of that was the documentary sponsored by CIG, at the end of last year: it was something that made people think and reflect about this. People talked about these issues in day-by-day situations.

Country context papers are on track

The last weeks it became quiet in the research team because one by one went on leave. Everybody is back to the desk now and eight researchers and fellow researchers are working on eight working papers called country context and legal context papers. These two papers per country are supposed to bring everybody on the same page about migration history, laws and prevalence data in each of the countries. In order to do comparatative research, we need to know the background of each country. Did your country have an extensive colonial history? From where are the migrants that migrate to your country? Which rights do they have? And so many more questions to ask. The papers are supposed to be desk research collecting and condensing existent research, but they will be of importance for the data analysis later on. Maybe we will not have final versions of all the papers at the initial deadline, but we hope to have preliminary versions of all of them by the middle or the end of january.

Bianca Grafe

Reflections on the kickoff in Osnabrück

Great weather, no cancellations and no major problems

The kick-off meeting was a great success! Everyone came – not a single cancellation – and the researchers and practitioners had a wonderful experience getting to know their counterparts in other countries and each other. The weather was perfect – mild golden October – and the location ideal for strolling in the Botanical Garden during the breaks.

The meeting was supported by a group of 7 student assistants, most of them volunteers from the master’s program in pedagogy, who met an guided the visitors, made coffee and tea and served lunches, helped with the technology and internet connections, and generally helped to ensure smooth proceedings.

Public event: Botanical Garden, who-is-who and fingerfood

On the first day, 14 researchers from the five partners discussed guidelines for the country context papers as well as theoretical approaches, and shared thoughts about the perspectives of the work. On Monday evening, a public presentation of the project under the theme of “culture-sensitive intervention” was held, with the university vice-president for research and the dean of the faculty as welcoming speakers. Carol Hagemann-White presented the main ideas and aims of the project in German, and then each lead researcher and each representative of the associate partners spoke for five minutes, introducing themselves and their organization. Afterwards there were drinks and snacks, made possible by a contribution from the university society.  A professional photographer recorded the event.

Even more work - second day meeting

On Tuesday the 11 associate partners and the researchers discussed together how the workshops with practitioners might be implemented for each of the three areas of violence covered in the project. The discussion was moderated by Prof. Cornelia Helfferich, Freiburg, a methodologist with research experience in all three areas, who will also be consulting with the project in Germany. A draft memorandum of understanding spelling out the rights of associate partners who contribute to the work was discussed and agreed, including principles of transparency, confidentiality and respect for intellectual property rights, but also inclusion in discussions about concepts and appropriate language. After lunch, the researchers took stock of what had been done , while the visiting practitioners were offered a tour of the town by student guides. All participants whose flights did not leave until the next day met for dinner and wine in a traditional restaurant. 

The Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung was present at the evening event and reported

Bianca Grafe/Carol Hagemann-White

Full team, picture taken by Angela von Brill

 

 

Kickoff event in Osnabrück on 21.10.2013

To start the project officially and get to know each other, we will have a big event on 21st of October.

 All researchers and associate partners will be there, introduce themselves and present the project.

The event is open to the public and will start at 18.00 in Bohnenkamphaus in Osnabrück.

 German press release:

„Kultursensible Gewaltprävention“

ist das Thema der öffentlichen Auftaktveranstaltung, mit der das im September begonnenen CEINAV-Projekt sich der interessierten Öffentlichkeit vorstellt. Am Montag, den 21. Oktober, treffen sich alle Partner aus Wissenschaft und Praxis aus vier Ländern in Osnabrück, um ihre Zusammenarbeit abzustimmen. In der gemeinsam ausgerichteten Abendveranstaltung um 18h im Bohnenkamphaus am Botanischen Garten wird die Projektleiterin, Prof. i.R. Dr. Carol Hagemann-White, Ziele und Anliegen der gemeinsamen Forschung und der Kooperation mit der Praxis in einem Vortrag vorstellen:

“Interkulturelle Begegnungen und Fragen der Ethik im Gewaltschutz für Frauen und Kinder“

Danach stellen die kooperierende Forscherinnen und Forscher sowie die assoziierten Partner aus der Praxis sich selbst und ihre Organisation vor und berichten über ihre Arbeit (in Englischer Sprache). Anschließend gibt es Gelegenheit, bei einem Stehimbiss mit Umtrunk die Kooperationspartner im vertiefenden Gespräch kennenzulernen und über die Gewaltschutzarbeit in anderen Ländern mehr zu erfahren.

Das Bohnenkamp-Haus am Eingang zum Botanischen Garten, Albrechtstraße 29, ist mit dem Bus 21 zu erreichen, Haltestelle: Hochschulen Osnabrück. Parkmöglichkeiten am Universitätsparkplatz an der Barbarastraße.

CEINAV meets the „HERA family“

The HERA program “Cultural Encounters” was officially launched on Sept. 31/Oct. 1 in Dubrovnik, in a conference attended by nearly all lead researchers  from the 18 funded new projects, as well as the reviewers who had read the proposals. A selection of project leaders from the previous HERA Call told the new members what they have learned from collaboration. Carol Hagemann-White and Bianca Grafe from Osnabrück attended and presented the CEINAV project.

HERA Press release of the launching conference

Read about all 18 projects

In the new HERA brochure