Project Description

Intern(s) will join the analysts from the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons in investigating trafficking trends in the Dutch Caribbean. They will monitor local media, news coverage, and open source data and compile research to contribute to regional context and office outputs. This will allow for real-time monitoring of trafficking trends as depicted in news media and academic research, including in non-English sources. The project will focus primarily on the Dutch Caribbean islands of Aruba and Curacao, but may also extend to Bonaire, St. Eustace, Sint Maarten, and Saba. Source materials from Caribbean, Caribbean South American, and Central American publications may also be relevant. Intern(s) will be encouraged to explore subareas of trafficking in persons which interest them, including for independent research projects. Additional duties and tasks may be assigned as need arises and when corresponding with intern interest.

The intern(s) will become familiar with trafficking in persons literature, the TIP Report, the State Department working culture, and professional writing in a single-issue office with an international focus performing programmatic, research, and diplomatic functions.

PRIMARY PROJECT OUTPUT: a regular news briefing, on a schedule determined by mentor and intern

SECONDARY PROJECT OUTPUT: independent research into trafficking trends, based on intern areas of interest (ex. trafficking in youth athletic clubs, the intersectionality of trafficking and migration)

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE:
- Organized and responsive
- Able to work independently and meet deadlines
- Adept at using academic and professional writing styles
- Able to read, process, and synthesize data from a variety of sources, including academic publications and news media
- Background in sociology, criminology, justice, political science, government, history, or human rights (suggested, but not required)
- Familiar with or interested in Latin America, Caribbean, or Netherlands subject matter (helpful, but not required)
- Familiar with or interested in trafficking in persons (helpful, but not required)
- SPEAKS DUTCH OR PAPIAMENTU/PAPIAMENTO

This project is based on the selection of a candidate with critical language skills. Candidates without these language skills are welcome to apply, however Dutch and Papiamentu/Papiamento speakers will be preferenced. If no viable candidate with these skills is available, other applicants will be considered, although the project may shift slightly in scope.

In general, languages spoken in the Latin American and Caribbean regions (French, Spanish, Portuguese, Creoles, indigenous languages, etc.) will be considered strengths and directly applicable to the project. If you speak one or more of these languages, please indicate this clearly in your application.

Required Skills or Interests

Additional Information

WHAT IS TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS?
Trafficking in persons (TIP) is modern-day slavery. TIP involves the use of force, fraud or coercion to obtain or maintain compelled service of one person by another. Trafficking in persons is distinct from human smuggling, and includes both sex trafficking and labor trafficking. Globally, experts estimate there are more than 25 million victims enslaved by their traffickers.

WHAT IS THE OFFICE TO MONITOR AND COMBAT TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS?
The State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP Office) leads a global effort to combat modern slavery through the prosecution of traffickers, the protection of victims, and the prevention of human trafficking through objective analysis, bilateral and multilateral diplomacy, engagement with civil society and the private sector, and targeted foreign assistance. The TIP Office’s primary output, the annual Trafficking in Persons Report, is an internationally recognized source for data on government efforts to combat trafficking in persons across 180+ countries.

Read more about the TIP Office at https://www.state.gov/bureaus-offices/under-secretary-for-civilian-security-democracy-and-human-rights/office-to-monitor-and-combat-trafficking-in-persons/