Nicole Voelkel

Anti-Trafficking Base in Italy 

Italy is a major destination and transit country for women, children, and men trafficked transnationally for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor, with dramatic increase in recent years within numbers of refugees and asylum seekers. In Italy women are often taken from detentions centers and sold for as little as $5 per customer, and it would take a salary of less than $500 per month to keep them from street work.

In partnership with local and international non-profits, businesses, and faith-based initiatives, Nicole will be working this year to create a long term base and team to provide training, mentoring, and employment to women from at-risk circumstances.

  • Key Person: Nicole Voelkel

BEAUTY FOR ASHES

The Mission

Provide direct support to women including basic needs street outreach, connection to safehouse and trained service providers.

Partner with a transitional program to provide wholistic care mentoring, vocational training, direct employment and professional development through TrueStory Fashion.

Spearhead a national awareness campaign on sexual trafficking and violence against women, partnering with more than 20 professional sports stars and celebrities to create a benefit fashion show against violence and sexual exploitation of women, sharing stories of solidarity, healing and hope.

Host ongoing weekly therapeutic workshops and support groups, as well as retreats focused on healing, transformation, community building and upward mobility.

The Approach

While many women face excruciating life circumstances that have told them over and over again that they have no value and no voice, TrueStory seeks to change the narrative, providing meaningful jobs to women and inviting them in a journey of growth and renewed hope together. Each women’s cooperative receives training and employment in crafting original hand-made garments while our direct investment micro-enterprise model allows a community of women to work and grow together through creative workshops, listening circles and a unique personal growth journey guided by a research-based storytelling and arts curriculum.

One Woman’s Story

Italy is a destination and transit country for women, children, and men trafficked transnationally for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor. Trafficking in Italy has increased significantly due to dramatic flow of migrants and asylum-seekers. In 2016 the number of trafficked Nigerian women almost doubled, and overall numbers of migrants are estimated to be more than 200,000 and rising. Of these, children and women in search of work are especially susceptible to trafficking, often disappearing immediately from over-crowded detention centers to be exploited by Albanian or Nigerian trafficking rings.

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