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Charmaine Jelbert BA Hons

PhD Candidate at the University of Cambridge Centre for Gender Studies

I am reading for a PhD examining ‘Human Trafficking Prevention: 2012 Olympics’. I got interested in this subject through working on an exhibition to commemorate the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade and a growing awareness of modern day slavery continued as I worked for a charity, CHASTE, conducting research into rehabilitation and preventative strategies in countries of origin and around sporting events.

Biography

Career

  • 2010. Researcher investigating the preventative strategies that were implemented before, during and after the World Cup in South Africa. CHASTE, Cambridge, UK
  • 2009. Researcher around the impact of gender on nutrition in seven South Asian countries for a major programme design exercise for World Bank/DFID (the South Asia Food Security and Nutrition Initiative) Meta-Development LLP, UK
  • 2008-2009. Researcher in East Africa to investigate repatriation programmes. Lobbying parliament to change law around prostitution.CHASTE, Cambridge, UK
  • 2006-2007. Historical researcher for replica slave ship for an exhibition to commemorate the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade, ‘Free at Last?’. Centre For Contemporary Ministry, Moggerhanger, UK

Qualifications

  • BA Hons in Political Science. Rhodes University, South Africa. 2005
  • BA in Political Science and Journalism. Rhodes University, South Africa. 2002-2004

Research

The research for my BA Honours degree at Rhodes University was around the rising phenomenon of child rape in South Africa. A new space between traditional and modern had formed that facilitated the rape of 56 child a day in South Africa. My dissertation explored this startling occurrence and tried to contextualise this issue within the emerging modern and democratic state and the disintegrating traditional values.

After completing my studies I did an internship for the Centre for Contemporary Ministry, where I conducted research into the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and the work of the abolitionists. This work also explored the legacy of slavery and the modern day slave trade. It was from here that I began to pursue a more active role in researching about human trafficking, initially as a volunteer and then full time.

The initial work I did for CHASTE revolved around awareness campaigns and how to conduct awareness campaigns to engage people but it was also to be developed to create awareness at potential victims. This research then lead to the pilot project in East Africa where I conducted research about the prevention strategies and the repatriation programmes that were available for women being returned to this area and the three countries of origin: Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda.

Before I went to South Africa I conducted research around seven South Asian countries. The research was done specifically through a gender lens, as I explored how the impact of the gender inequalities in those countries. The results showed that not only women were affected by this social hierarchies but the surprisingly high levels of malnutrition were as a direct result of this gender imbalance. This research was aimed at ensuring policy makers at DFID and the World Bank were aware of the lived reality of these women.

The final bit of research I conducted before beginning my studies was around sporting events. This was specifically exploring preventative strategies in South Africa around the World Cup and how effective they were at raising awareness and at identifying and rescuing victims.

Doctoral research

My research is exploring the responses of governments to human trafficking around large sporting events and the case study for this research is the Olympics in London 2012. Currently I am also a member of the Human Trafficking Network Group, which is an initiation of the Greater London Authority and the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

External activities

  • St John’s Women’s Society Committee
  • Cambridge Fencing Society