365PeaceandFriendship

I contributed a short piece about our USM-USFSP Joint Research Project regarding Human Trafficking and the role that Peace Corps Volunteers played in that effort to the Peace Corps newsletter in Moldova. The PCVs helped us to understand the work that is being done in Moldova to combat human trafficking.

Here is a link to the site where you can learn more about the impressive work being done by PCVs in Moldova and how you can support their work:

http://www.365peaceandfriendship.com/

And here is an excerpt from my post:

November 12th - International Collaboration Researching Human Trafficking
posted Nov 20, 2011 12:59 AM by Post Event

http://www.365peaceandfriendship.com/events/pcv-events---november/november12th-internationalcollaborationresearchinghumantrafficking

During the Fall 2011 semester, I collaborated with Professor Svetlana Suveica at the American Studies Center at Moldova State University in Chisinau to create a joint project where my students from my Women and the Law class could work together with her students. (We developed the idea for this project when I was teaching in Moldova as a Fulbright Scholar in 2010 (see www.jainmoldova.blogspot.com); Professor Suveica was a Fulbright Scholar to the U.S. (Stanford University) in 2009-10.)

The objective of the assignment, as we described in our handout for the students, is as follows:

"This group research project will give students from the University of South Florida St. Petersburg and Moldova State University to work together on research projects regarding human trafficking. We will have several videoconferences with our colleagues in Chisinau/St. Petersburg during the course of the semester. In these meetings we will discuss common readings, hear from guest speakers in Moldova (NGOs and Peace Corps Volunteers) and in Tampa Bay (non-profits, prosecutors, law enforcement officials), hold a conference to present research findings, and enjoy a celebration event at which each student will be presented an edited volume that contains copies of each group’s research paper.

"While working on this assignment, students will learn about a wide range of issues related to human trafficking: the role of NGOs and non-profits in combating human trafficking in Florida and in Moldova; U.S. and Moldovan partnerships and coordination with other nations and international agencies and treaties designed to combat human trafficking; prevention programs in the U.S., Florida and in Moldova; prosecution of human trafficking in the U.S., Florida and Moldova, government agencies in the U.S., Florida, and Moldova responsible for combating human trafficking; U.S., Florida, and Moldovan anti-trafficking legislation (e.g., U.S. Trafficking Victim Protection Act 2000), and international responses to human trafficking (e.g., the U.N. Protocol against Trafficking in Persons (2003) and the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings).

"In addition to learning more about the issue of human trafficking, this assignment will give students the opportunity to
• foster intercultural understanding through learning and communication
• develop oral and written communication skills through the communication with a counterpart from U.S. and Moldova - across cultures and beyond borders
• make students aware of the interconnectedness of local/regional/global social issues
•expand students’ opportunities in using technology in communication, learning and research
•make students curious and interested in acquiring more knowledge about U.S. and Moldova and their peoples
•make students work virtually, outside homes, outside the country, through an on-line cooperation
•overcome stereotypes about a “privileged” American student in terms of research opportunities, non-academic cooperation, individual and group work
•make students reconsider possible preconceived ideas about big and small countries and the problem these face
•get in contact with a non-academic environment, e.g. NGOs, Peace Corps volunteers that are involved in solving the issues that are explored in the classroom
•make students share and learn from the experience of the other in terms of study and research
•overcome language barriers for those who were not able to communicate with a native speaker"

During our third videoconference/joint class meeting (on 20 October 2011), students heard from guest speakers working on combating human trafficking in Moldova. Presenters included a representative from the NGO LaStrada as well as Peace Corps Volunteers.

The LaStrada presentation was very insightful and full of information to assist students as they got their research projects underway. For more information about LaStrada, see www.lastrada.md

The joint classroom also heard from 3 Peace Corps Volunteers working in Moldova. While these volunteers do not work directly with victims of human trafficking, they work on a number of economic and community development projects aimed at prevention (and getting to the root causes that lead to trafficking).

PCVs Keith Johnson and Leigh Stenberg discussed their work with the TIP program, which is designed to connect volunteers with resources available to them for their work in the villages.

As described in an article by Melissa Stuart on this site (365peaceandfriendship.com) on April 28, "MoldovaTiP is the Peace Corps committee dedicated to human trafficking and migration issues in the Peace Corps Volunteer community. Primarily, we work as a conduit between eager PCVs and our counterpart organizations in the larger cities. Most of our partner organizations have a plethora of resources ready to distribute, and they rely on us to spread these resources throughout the country using the widespread, rural PCV network. Education is the key when it comes to avoiding instances of human trafficking and safely migrating from Moldova. Thus, the most common form of collaboration between our partner organizations and PCVs is seminars offered by our partner organizations. Our partners visit PCV classrooms, youth groups, and communities offering seminars and workshops on avoiding human trafficking, internet safety, and entrepreneurship. These events are free and are often taught by the organizations’ volunteers. Hence, our Moldovans partners really do most of the work on behalf of other Moldovans, we simply help facilitate the correspondence."

PCV Emily Getty discussed her work with GLOW -- Girls Leading Our World -- which has a variety of initiatives all aimed at empowering young women. Emily described a number of programs and initiatives she organizes to help empower young women in Moldova so that trafficking is not seen as the only way out of poverty in the village. You can see the GLOW Moldova facebook page for more information.

Not long after my students heard from the Peace Corps Volunteers serving in Moldova during this skype videoconference, many of them attended an event with the USF Peace Corps Recruiter when she visited our campus.

The insights gained from the PCV presentations not only informed my students understanding of issues to be addressed in combating human trafficking but also inspired them to consider serving as a PCV after graduation.

I am grateful that the PCVs could take time out of their busy schedules to join our "global classroom"!