The NEXUS Institute® is a leader in research, analysis, and evaluation in the field of human rights, specializing in human trafficking and related issues. We are pioneering the application and adaptation of methods for the collection, analysis, and presentation of new knowledge about these issues and society’s responses to them to identify what works, what doesn’t, and why.
Where We Work
NEXUS works globally and has conducted research in challenging environments, such as post-conflict, developing countries in Africa, countries in transition in South East Europe and the former Soviet Union, and developing countries in South East Asia. And, because we are dedicated to addressing the issues within a comprehensive framework, we also have worked on less-considered issues such as trafficking in men, labor trafficking, trafficking involving socially-marginalized groups, as well as strategies addressing economic prevention and root causes.
The NEXUS team draws upon almost twenty years of experience addressing human trafficking and related issues in government, inter-governmental organizations, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and academia. This breadth of experience in different regions – from the grass roots level in the field to senior level legal and policy positions – means that NEXUS has a global perspective and extensive knowledge of lessons-learned and best practices. We understand what is involved in working at the intersection of practice, policy and law in addressing human trafficking.
NEXUS’ work also benefits from our multi-disciplinary experience with related issues such as: migration and asylum; gender and gender-based violence; community development; law reform and legislative analysis (including on anti-trafficking legislation and national plans of action); development of training curricula for law enforcement, judges/prosecutors and service providers; post-conflict and refugee issues; crime prevention policy; and crime victim protection. This broad range of experience translates into fresh insight and analysis which, in turn, helps us to craft innovative and more effective anti-trafficking responses with our partners in governments and non-governmental organizations.
Acknowledgments
NEXUS’ work has been generously supported by donors, strategic partners and supporting organizations such as the following:
U.S. Department of State
United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
MTV Exit
King Baudouin Foundation (KBF-Belgium)
Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Fafo Institute for Applied International Studies (Fafo)
Vital Voices Global Partnership
Clinton Global Initiative
Humanity United
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)
Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative Against Trafficking (COMMIT)
Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID)/ Asia Regional Trafficking in Persons Project (ARTIP)
United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
University of Michigan Law School & Human Trafficking Legal Clinic
Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México Law School & Human Trafficking Law Clinic (ITAM) (Mexico City)
DLA Piper
Baker & McKenzie
Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
International Organization for Migration (IOM)
International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD)
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
United Nations Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking (UNIAP)
UNICEF Sierra Leone
UNICEF Macedonia
Hewlett Packard
Kids in Need of Defense (KIND)
Creative Associates International
Cardno
World Vision
Mentors Foundation
Our work around the globe on these issues beginning in the 1990s has provided us with opportunities to work collaboratively and constructively with many other international organizations, local non-governmental organizations and inter-governmental organizations, as well as high-level government officials and leaders in business and other sectors. We appreciate their support and work on these issues and thank them all.
Founding Member, Alliance Against Trafficking in Persons
NEXUS is a founding Member of the Alliance Against Trafficking in Persons that works under the auspices and leadership of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). The Alliance Against Trafficking in Persons includes international, non-governmental and inter-governmental organizations that have been brought together by the OSCE to prevent and combat human trafficking through the development of effective joint strategies and to provide the 57 OSCE participating States and 11 Partners for Cooperation with innovative and coordinated approaches to strengthen each country’s efforts to prevent trafficking in human beings, support and protect victims of trafficking and prosecute the perpetrators within each participating State and through improved transnational cooperation. A high level Alliance conference and two meetings of the Alliance Expert Co-ordination Team are held annually in Vienna, Austria, chaired by the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings. The Alliance Members include:
- NEXUS Institute
- Amnesty International
- Anti-Slavery International
- Bureau of the Dutch Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings
- The Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME)
- Council of Europe (CoE)
- Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS)
- European Commission
- European Police Office (EUROPOL)
- ECPAT International (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes)
- Human Rights Watch (HRW)
- International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD)
- International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC)
- International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL)
- International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
- International Labour Organization (ILO)
- International Organization for Migration (IOM)
- International Organisation of Employers (IOE)
- International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)
- La Strada International
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
- Organization of American States (OAS)
- Platform for International Coooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM)
- Save the Children
- Terre des Hommes
- United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
- United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
- United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN WOMEN)
- United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
- World Vision International
Our Partners Building a Law School Legal Clinic in Mexico
NEXUS’ partners for our successful project that built a legal clinic and created a tailored course curriculum on human trafficking preparing law students to represent victims of trafficking in Mexico, funded by the U.S. State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, are:
University of Michigan Law School & Human Trafficking Legal Clinic
Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México Law School & Human Trafficking Law Clinic (ITAM) (Mexico City)
NGO Partners in South East Europe
The NEXUS Institute has served as the technical advisor on all aspects of reintegration programming for the Trafficking Victims Re/integration Programme (TVRP) since its inception in 2006 by the King Baudouin Foundation (Brussels, Belgium). As such, NEXUS has worked closely with partner NGO organizations, participating in the provision of quality services and support to victims of human trafficking in South East Europe. These organizations include:
- Different and Equal (D&E)
- Tjeter Vizion
- Vatra
- Medica Zenica
- Zemlja Djece
- Animus Association
- Nadja Centre
- Center for Protection of Victims and Prevention of Trafficking in Human Beings (PVPT)
- Hope and Homes
- Equal Access
- Open Gate
- Adpare
- Young Generation
- Atina
- Centre for Youth Integration