Gillian Caldwell

1996

Gillian Caldwell

Global Survival Network (GSN)

Washington D.C., United States

Civil and Human Rights

The Bold Idea:

In response to the growing traffic of women for forced prostitution out of Russia and the Newly Independent States, the Global Survival Network (GSN) works to expose the mechanisms behind trafficking. Along with producing a detailed report and a documentary focusing on the issues surrounding trafficking, GSN’s trafficking project will:

• Continue to educate a broad audience about the problem of trafficking, with a focus on targeting women and children in sending countries, as well as relevant government and non-government organizations and media representatives
• Press for effective legislation and enforcement mechanisms to eradicate exploitation and ensure human rights
• Conduct a global survey of trafficking to further uncover and understand the linkages between sending and receiving countries worldwide.

Biography:

Ms. Caldwell is the Executive Director of WITNESS, where she has worked for the past six years. Since 1992, WITNESS has strengthened the human rights movement by forging partnerships with human rights activists worldwide. Using cameras and communications technology, WITNESS-trained partners produce videos that help expose human rights violations, challenge powerful forces, and restore dignity and hope to witnesses and victims of human rights abuse. WITNESS promotes lasting change by mobilizing influential forces – from the United Nations and national governments to regional courts and the general public – to support local human rights struggles. By making the invisible, visible, WITNESS proves that video cameras in the hands of frontline activists can save lives, change laws, and deliver justice.
www.witness.org

Rockefeller Foundation, Next Generation Leadership Award
2000

Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship
Named one of "40 Outstanding Social Entrepreneurs Worldwide"
2001