Anti-trafficking and Women’s Rights Activists, Survivor Leaders Gather for Global Conference Centering Women and Girls in Ending Sex Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation

Conference Will Inform Anti-Trafficking Initiative of Recently Launched 5.2 Global Partnership

Madrid, Feb. 4, 2019 – For the next two days, anti-trafficking and women’s rights advocates, survivor leaders, officials from the Spanish government and U.N. agency representatives will meet at the Fundación Francisco Giner de Los Ríos for the global conference “Centering Women and Girls in Ending Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation: The Architecture of the 5.2 Global Partnership,” hosted by the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women and the Comisión Para La Investigación De Malos Tratos A Mujeres. Ten survivor leaders, all participants, will also hold a press conference on the second day of the conference, Feb. 5 at 9 a.m., to discuss the harms perpetuated by the global sex trade against women and girls and highlight how they are combatting these human rights violations both in their own countries and around the world.

“When 94 percent of detected sex trafficking victims are women and girls and knowing that labor trafficked women are also highly vulnerable to sexual violence and exploitation, there is undoubtedly a crisis governments must address immediately,” said Taina Bien-Aimé, executive director of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women. “We are thrilled to gather top experts to discuss solutions in ending this human rights scourge that occurs with overwhelming impunity in Spain and around the world.”

“Knowing and sharing insights with my survivor sisters thrills me and gives me strength to continue this fight,” said Amelia Tiganus, a survivor of sex trafficking, a leader in the movement against sexual exploitation and a member of Feminicidio.net. “Let us fight together in the global feminist movement through principles of human rights and with a common agenda that obliges states to take up this issue.”

The global conference’s series of panels and roundtable discussions with global anti-trafficking experts and advocates working to end sexual exploitation, including survivor leaders, from 22 countries and the insights generated during these sessions will be instrumental in the development of the 5.2 Global Partnership’s anti-trafficking in women and girls initiative.

Launched by civil society, the 5.2 Global Partnership is a multi-stakeholder group dedicated to reaching Target 5.2 of U.N. Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality by 2030. Together with its grassroots network of civil society organizations and the U.N., its agencies and regional bodies, the Partnership will accelerate action and investments to end violence against women and girls, in particular trafficking and sexual exploitation, sexual violence, and sexual harassment. It invites the collaboration and membership, of the United Nations and its agencies, governments, the private sector, academia, philanthropic entities and individuals,  and other members of civil society to reach these goals.

The global gathering will feature national and international experts including Pilar Llop, Delegate, the Spanish Government’s Office to Combat Violence Against Women, Ministry of the Presidency; Dalia Leinarte, Chair of the Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW chair); Dr. Ingeborg Kraus, psychologist and traumatologist; Beatriz Sánchez Álvarez, Assistant Public Prosecutor on Immigration Matters; and Ambassador Per-Anders Sunesson, Ambassador-at-Large on Trafficking in Persons for the Foreign Ministry of Sweden, among many others.

Survivor leaders Rachel Moran, founder and executive director, SPACE International, and author of “Paid For: My Journey Through Prostitution”; Amelia Tiganus, member, Feminicidio.net; Beatriz Rodríguez Rengifo, founder and director, ASOMUPCAR (Asociación de Mujeres Productoras de  Cárnicos del Caquetá); Mickey Meji, advocacy manager, Embrace Dignity, and founder, Kwanele; Autumn Burris, founder and director, Survivors for Solutions; Fiona Broadfoot, founder and CEO, Build A Girl Project; Vednita Carter, founder, Breaking Free; Cherie Jimenez, founder and director, EVA Center; Myles Paredes, president, Bagong Kamalyan Collective, Inc.; Melanie Thompson, student and advocate, will all be at the press conference to answer questions.