From 23 until 25 October, Sebastian Gölly and Nina Kaiser and a group of students of our Faculty visited Montclair State University (New Jersey, USA) as part of a Criminal and Public Law Perspectives class on Transnational Crime and Justice – Human Trafficking, initiated by our Hans Gross Centre for Interdisciplinary Criminal Sciences at the Department of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure Law and Criminology.
Dr. Daniela Peterka-Benton, Academic Director of the Global Center on Human Trafficking and Associate Professor in the Department of Justice Studies at MSU served as the stateside partner for this transatlantic learning experience. He taught one class section on Human Trafficking to the Austrian students prior to their arrival in the United States and planned the activities and field trips during their three-day visit with the support of the Global Center on Human Trafficking. “These sorts of interactions are very important for fostering a global perspective on justice,” Peterka-Benton said.
The group began their program with a commanding panel discussion with three human trafficking lived experience experts. Gina Cavallo, a well-known local New Jersey survivor advocate and anti-trafficking consultant, Christabelle Robinson, Program Coordinator and lived-experience expert at the Global Center on Human Trafficking and Treia Boozier, a survivor advocate and Montclair State student shared their vital knowledge about the human trafficking experience and the importance of survivor leadership in anti-trafficking initiatives. “Survivor leaders, advocates, and professionals with lived experiences offer a close and insightful perspective on the impacts of human trafficking, shedding light on an issue frequently shrouded in mystery and plagued by misinformation perpetuated by mainstream media,” said Robinson.
While the program focused primarily on human trafficking, the we were also curious to experience the U.S. Justice System more broadly, which we were able to do during a visit of Northern State Prison in Newark. The tour of the prison proved challenging that day as staff had to deal with two situations which required lock-downs, but everyone was as accommodating as can be under the circumstances. The highlight of this visit was a mix-and-mingle with inmates, most of them under life sentences, sharing their stories and answering questions. It was very impactful for us to see a correctional approach that is very different from our own experiences.
“Transnational cooperation in academia and university education is essential for fostering cross-cultural understanding, advancing knowledge, and addressing global challenges, like human Ttafficking. Thanks to this program our students were able to gain incredibly valuable experience and a unique insight into the U.S. Justice System. We are extremely grateful for this transatlantic cooperation and look forward to hopefully welcoming MSU students to Austria in the near future!” said Dr. Sebastian Gölly and Dr. Nina Kaiser.
Efforts will continue to develop this exchange into an annual program to strengthen the partnership and exchange between our two institutions. For more information about the program, please reach out to zik(at)uni-graz.at