A Voice For the Voiceless

MISSION

The Advocacy Project seeks to help community-based advocates produce, disseminate and use information, and so become more effective advocates for human rights and social justice

Melinda Willis and TAMPEP

Melinda is currently pursuing her Masters in Law and Diplomacy at the Fletcher School at Tufts University. She is concentrating her studies on international human rights law with a specific interest in women’s health and is the 2004-2005 co-editor in chief of Praxis, the Fletcher Journal of International Development.

As part of AP's 2004 Summer Internship Program, Melinda Willis, a graduate student at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, worked with the Turin, Italy branch of the Transnational AIDS Prevention Among Migrant Prostitutes in Europe Project (TAMPEP).


AP Summer Intern Melinda Willis, left, with TAMPEP director Rosanna Paradiso.

TAMPEP works primarily to assist trafficked Nigerian prostitutes return to their homes. Under the direction of Rosanna Paradiso, TAMPEP tries to persuade the hundreds of Nigerian women engaged in the Turin sex trade to denounce their traffickers and escape from the trade.

TAMPEP also tries to dismantle the sex trade from the Nigeria. Rosanna and her colleagues hope to launch an extensive program of information in the Nigerian village of Edo State, which will inform women about the risks of trafficking. Back in Italy, TAMPEP also informs the Italian public about the routine abuse and violence directed against Nigerian women on the streets of Italy.

Melinda worked directly with TAMPEP in their Turin projects, but also helped to continue cooperation between TAMPEP and another AP partner, the Women’s Consortium of Nigeria (WOCON), based in Lagos, Nigeria. WOCON also works to assist the women trapped in the trans-continental sex trade.

From her June 4 blog: Melinda's namesake in Italy, a golden apple.

AP further improved coordination between the two partners this past summer, with Melinda’s internship at TAMPEP and AP continued partnership with WOCON.

During the summer, Melinda posted weekly reports on her internship in the form of blogs. Her blogs offer a unique view into the day-to-day operations of a grassroots organization, and into Melinda’s own personal experience as an intern.

In 2001, AP's Iain Guest visited TAMPEP in order to profile both their work and their relationship with other Nigeria-based civil society organizations also working to stop trafficking. This research project included looking into ways TAMPEP could work together with WOCON.

• Melinda Willis' blog