SIT Graduate Institute

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Rebecca Johnson

When Rebecca Johnson met victims' families of human trafficking during her SIT Study Abroad semester in the Balkans, the experience confirmed her life's path, one that led her to the SIT Graduate Institute and now to a coveted fellowship with the Polaris Project.

Johnson serves as a public outreach and communications fellow at Polaris, a worldwide non-profit that works to abolish human trafficking. The five-month stint in Washington, DC is allowing her to hone her advocacy skills and pursue her passion for anti-trafficking.

"I feel so lucky to be able to be here to continue learning and developing my professional career. I couldn't have gotten here without the experiences, knowledge, and practitioner skills I gained from SIT," Johnson said.

From 2007-09, Johnson was stationed in southern Kyrgyzstan as part of the SIT Graduate Institute Master's International Program, a joint program with the Peace Corps. There she worked with a local nongovernmental organization that focused on HIV/AIDS prevention and anti-human trafficking efforts.

It was the latter issue that really sparked Johnson's interest, and became the focus of her mandatory capstone, a yearlong research project completed by SIT Graduate Institute students. Her project, titled "Bride Kidnapping in the Kyrgyz Republic: When Advocacy Goes Against Tradition," focused on advocacy and outreach campaigns in the former Soviet nation.

Once banned by the Soviet Union, bride kidnapping is seeing a resurgence in Central Asia, where girls as young as 16 are abducted from public places such as their school or university. Relatives or friends of a "groom" take the girl to his family home and hold her hostage while they try to persuade or even coerce her into marriage. Watch a Frontline/World report on bride kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan to learn more.

Part of Johnson's outreach efforts and capstone research was to enlist local residents to help create an anti-kidnapping toolkit for Peace Corps volunteers stationed in Kyrgyzstan. The toolkit contains lesson plans, focus group notes, advice from local gender experts, and a breakdown of national and international laws pertaining to kidnapping, as well as resources for the women.

Johnson first became interested in human trafficking as an undergraduate student at the University of Rhode Island, where she completed two human trafficking courses, the first of their kind in the United States. It was here she located 10 brothels in Providence and interviewed law enforcement officials about how they conduct raids, victims' rights programs, and prostitution in the city.

"It was incredibly eye-opening to learn the prevalence of sex trafficking in Rhode Island, and also the politics involved," Johnson said.

Studying with SIT Study Abroad in the Balkans provided Johnson with the real-world experience she wanted to supplement her studies. Johnson was able to get up close with victims of trafficking. For her month-long Independent Study Project, Johnson created a photo diary of human trafficking prevention in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

"It was during this trip that I realized I wanted to spend the rest of my life working toward eradicating human trafficking," she said.

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