The Protection Project is vested in making a difference in the United States and abroad. In doing so, The Protection Project, has, throughout the years, convened a variety of conferences, symposia, and seminars focusing on human rights issues of our day—to lead the national discussion and to raise awareness of key challenges. Below you will find more information related to some of the main conferences organized over the years by The Protection Project.
On November 7, 2011 The Protection Project hosted the Sixth Annual Symposium on Trafficking in Persons titled: “The Five Elements of Civil Society: A New Approach to Participation in Combating Trafficking in Persons”. The conference brough together experts from academia, non-governmental organizations, religious institutions, the corporate world and the media to discuss the role that each of these industries has in the fight against trafficking in persons.
Read Dr. Mohamed Mattar’s Speech
On June 26, 2011, The Protection Project held its annual conference on the findings and recommendations of the US State Department Trafficking in Persons Report. In particular, the conference focused on the findings and recommendations of the 2011 Report on Trafficking in Persons (TIP) which was released on June 27,2011. Ambassador Luis C. de Baca, Director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons at the US Department of State, gave the keynote speech and responded to questions from the audience which included Ambassadors, embassy representatives, government officials, NGOs and other members of civil society.
Read Dr. Mohamed Mattar’s Speech
On February 8, 2011, The Protection Project hosted Dr. Anne Gallagher, a recognized global authority on human trafficking and exploitation, to discuss recent developments in the field of human trafficking. Dr. Gallagher served as a career UN official from 1992 to 2003 and was Special Advisor on Human Trafficking to Mary Robinson, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 1998 to 2002. She continues to advise the UN on these matters and has, most recently, completed the definitive legal commentary to the United Nations Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Human Trafficking.
Read Dr. Anne Gallagher’s Speech.
On November 2, 2010, The Protection Project held its Fifth Annual Symposium on trafficking in persons. International and national scholars in human rights and trafficking in persons analyzed the lessons learned in the legal, political, cultural, social, or economic fields since the enactment of the US Trafficking Victims Protection Act and the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children in the year 2000.
Read Dr. Mohamed Mattar’s Speech.
On June 23, 2010, The Protection Project held its annual conference on the findings and recommendations of the US State Department Trafficking in Persons Report”. In particular, the conference focused on the findings and recommendations of the 2010 Report on Trafficking in Persons (TIP) which was released on June 14,2010. Ambassador Luis C. de Baca, Director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons at the US Department of State, gave the keynote speech and responded to questions from the audience which included Ambassadors, embassy representatives, government officials, NGOs and other members of civil society.
Read Dr. Mohamed Mattar’s Speech.
On Paris 1, 2010, The Protection Project, in cooperation with Mr. Mr.Jean-Paul Delevoye, Mediateur of the French Republic, and Prof. Emmanuel Decaux, Professor of Law, Paris II Panthéon-Assas University held an international conference in Paris, France that brought together representatives of the Offices of the Ombudsman of the 47 countries of the Council of Europe and of the 22 Arab Countries to discuss the delicate issues of the universalism vs. relativism of human rights, the death penalty, gender discrimination and freedom of speech under the European Convention on Human Rights and the Arab Charter on Human Rights.
Read the Transcripts of the Conference (English) (French)
On November 2, 2009, The Protection Project convened its Fourth Annual Symposium in issues of trafficking in persons. The Symposium Series, which takes place annually at The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) is designed to bring to the fore emerging issues in trafficking in persons, and to serve as a leading forum for national debate and discussion on cutting edge topics relating to the issue of trafficking in persons. This year, the symposium addressed the issue of trafficking in persons as a form of violence against women, and explored the following topics: physical, psychological, and social health consequences of trafficking in persons, trafficking for non-commercial sex (marriage and mail-order brides) as a form of violence against women, as well as the issue of demand. The symposium aimed to put forth recommendations in responding to trafficking in persons through the prism of violence against women, such as through increased services enhancing access to justice for victims and effective strategies toward reducing the vulnerability of women to violence and trafficking as a form of prevention. Related forms of violence against women were explored, such as violence against women in the home and prostitution as a form of violence against women.
Read Dr. Mohamed Mattar’s Speech
In cooperation with the embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt, The Protection Project hosted a seminar focusing on regional and international security in the Middle East. While the seminar focused on achieving peace in the Middle East, and, more specifically, Egypt’s ideas and role in contributing to this goal, speakers also discussed the broader issues at play, such as US and Iranian politics and foreign policy priorities, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and internal Egyptian political dynamics. Speakers included leading Egyptian figures. Ambassadors, embassy representatives, US government officials, the media, students and scholars, as well as members of NGOs and other representatives of civil society attended this seminar.
This international conference was carried out by The Protection Project in cooperation with the Bologna Center of The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and the Center for Constitutional Studies and Democratic Development (CCSDD) affiliated with the University of Bologna and the Bologna Center. The conference sought to build on the momentum generated by the entry into force of the Arab Charter on Human Rights in March 2008, a significant step forward in the official commitment to international human rights in the Arab world. In recognizing the achievements in human rights protection in Europe stemming from the European Convention on Human Rights, the conference sought to learn from the European experience, and to study the provisions of the European Convention and the Arab Charter in a comparative perspective. Presenters included leading international human rights scholars from Europe, Canada, the United States, and the Middle East, as well as a representative from the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Attendees included scholars of human rights law and students from University of Bologna and the Bologna Center.
The Protection Project’s Third Annual Symposium in its Symposium Series on cutting edge issues in trafficking in persons, focused on the important economic factors that drive and contribute to the problem, as well as the potential responses centering on creating economic disincentives for traffickers, and those that engage actors in the international system of financial transactions in intercepting trafficking-related transactions. The symposium explored such issues as the application of the law of supply and demand to the illicit trafficking market, the economic drivers of child labor exploitation in the agricultural market, and, more broadly, the financial revenues to traffickers and financial losses to the international community resulting from labor trafficking. Related issues, such as money laundering, the economics of the organ trade, child sex tourism, and the international trade in pornography were likewise examined. Finally, recommendations were put forth, such as those advocating policies allowing for the confiscation of traffickers and engaging banks and other financial actors to target demand by detecting illicit online transactions made by purchasers of child pornography.
Read Dr. Mohamed Mattar’s Speech
This seminar, hosted by The Protection Project, explored the often provocative topic of Islamic veiling at a time when the issue is being debated in the European civil and religious rights context especially. The seminar focused on the history of the Islamic veiling tradition, as well as its religious, traditional, and political symbolism.
The Protection Project hosted this forum in cooperation with the Freedom House, a leading non-profit institute focusing on issues of freedom around the world, and based in Washington, DC. The forum examined the relationship between the level of freedom in a given country, and governmental efforts to combat human trafficking, including the importance and impact of anti-trafficking legislation and the role of education in the prevention of human trafficking and related issues.
Read Dr. Mohamed Mattar’s Speech.
The Protection Project’s Second Annual Symposium in its Symposium Series on cutting edge issues in trafficking in persons was devoted to advancing academic teaching and scholarship of trafficking in persons in institutions of higher education. U.S. and international scholars discussed strategies for teaching of the subject of trafficking in persons as part of existing international human rights curricula, as well as a stand-alone course. Universities with human rights programs were surveyed on the current status of academic content in which trafficking in persons is addressed and The Protection Project’s Association of Scholars of Trafficking in Persons was launched at the symposium.
Read Dr. Mohamed Mattar’s Speech
This conference, organized by The Protection Project, focused on examining the current human rights situation and rule of law situation in the Middle East, and exploring the challenges and opportunities for reform in these realms. A comprehensive analysis of the human rights situation in the Middle East was undertaken, existing mechanisms for the protection of human rights were discussed, and the importance of the indigenous role of Middle Eastern countries in their reform process was emphasized. As such, presenters introduced new initiatives and best practices from around the region, addressing those in the political, economic, social and cultural realms.
The Protection Project’s First Annual Symposium in its Symposium Series on cutting edge issues in trafficking in persons was devoted to bringing greater attention to the topics of child sex tourism and child pornography on the Internet. The symposium addressed the scope of the problem of child sex tourism and of child pornography in the U.S. and around the world, and focused on analyzing efforts being currently carried out to combat both phenomena, as well as recommendations for improvements in this realm. Special attention was paid to the role of the private sector, including the tourism sector, as well as international financial institutions, in combating child sex tourism and child pornography, respectively. Public-private partnerships were likewise emphasized. To bring greater awareness of the issues, a recent book and films on the subjects were presented. Speakers included national and international civil society advocates working to combat child sex tourism and child pornography, representatives of the private sector committed to the eradication of both phenomena, representatives of the U.S. law enforcement community battling the crimes, as well as a journalist and a film producer. The symposium was attended by scholars, students, representatives of NGOs and the private sector, as well as members of the diplomatic community, U.S. government officials, and the media.
This seminar, hosted by The Protection Project in cooperation with the U.S. Institute of Peace, based in Washington, DC, focused on exploring the provisions relating to women’s rights in the new Iraqi Constitution, promulgated in 2005. The speakers focused on whether women’s rights were protected under the new Constitution, as well as whether any potential conflicts that may arise relating to the inclusion of Islamic Sharia as one of the key sources of Iraqi legislation. The seminar was attended by students, scholars, as well as representatives of the U.S. government, and civil society institutions.
The Protection Project organized over 50 seminars focusing on key issues in the field of trafficking in persons. The seminar series was instrumental in educating the public, as well as anti-trafficking practitioners on the issue of trafficking in persons in the early years following the passage of the landmark U.S. Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) in 2000. The seminars addressed numerous topics aimed at advancing the understanding of the law, as well as its effective implementation. These diverse topics included: forms of trafficking in persons covered by the TVPA, rehabilitation and healing for survivors of trafficking, the relationship between trafficking and HIV/AIDS, the demand for trafficking of women and children, civil compensation for victims of trafficking, and numerous other topics.
To prevent trafficking in persons throughout the world, The Protection Project has worked through the years to bring attention to the issue and raise levels of awareness and understanding among government officials, civil society, and the general public in over 50 countries around the globe.
Topics covered by The Protection Project have included “Forced Child Labor, Human Trafficking, and Child Sex Tourism,” (at a U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, Office of International Affairs, NGO Liaison conference in Panama City, Panama, July 2009); a “Rights-Based Approach to Law Enforcement,” (at the Regional Expert Meeting on Rights-Based Assistance to Victims of Trafficking hosted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Cairo, Egypt, December 2008); “Extraterritoriality and Child Sex Tourism,” (at the Business Unusual: Winnipeg Global Thematic Consultation at the University of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, September 2008); “Omissions and Gaps: From the United Nations Protocol to the European Convention,” (at a Conference on European Convention on Action Against Trafficking Human Beings at The Johns Hopkins University Bologna Center in Bologna, Italy, March 2006); “The Protocol on Trafficking in Persons: History and Overview,” (at The Concord Center 3rd Annual Conference on Disposable People: Trafficking in Persons, The College of Management, School of Law in Tel Aviv, Israel, December 2005); “Regional Comparative Legal Analysis of Sex Trafficking and Sex Tourism,” (at the Tackling the Demand for Child Sex Tourism and Sex Trafficking Conference in Singapore, April 2005); “Article 217 of the Russian Criminal Code: A Distinct Approach in Exemption from Criminal Liability,” (at the Police Academy Training Program on Trafficking in Persons in Moscow, Russia, October 2004); “Incorporating a Concept of Human Security in Designating a National Legal Response to Trafficking in Persons,” (at the Meeting of the Helsinki Process on Globalization and Security, Track on Human Security in London, United Kingdom, April 2004); “The Birth of a New Anti-trafficking Legislation: The Dominican Republic Law No. 137-03 Regarding Illegal Trafficking of Migrants and Trade in Persons,” (at the Path Breaking Strategies in Combating Sex Trafficking in the Dominican Republic conference, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, December 2003).
