An independent researcher and consultant, Daja Wenke has long-standing professional experience working with Unicef and other organisations on the prevention of and response to the exploitation of children, including in the context of trafficking, and safeguarding children’s rights in transnational situations. She has specialised on law and policy analysis and applied research aiming to contribute to evidence informed and rights-based policy making, programming and advocacy. A guiding interest in her work is to promote systemic approaches to the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international standards. 
   

Graduated in Philosophy. Biographical Analyst in Philosophical Orientation (SABOF, www.scuolaphilo.it/sabof.htm), Gestalt Counselor (ASPIC, www.counselingverona.it/; REICO, www.associazionereico.org/) and trainer (International Organization for Migrations, IOM). Since the mid-nineties has been working for social policies in the context of migrations, covering the field of relationships building, training, personal and group evolution. He's been working since 2000 in the City of Venice. For more than a decade has been looking after the reception, guidance and protection of refugees, the design of services and the intervention on international protection.  He's an associate and trainer at the Association for the Development of the Individual and the Community (ASPIC Counseling&Culture, European School of Professional Counseling), and collaborated with various local venues. Since 2006 he's been conducting some modules within the three-year courses, workshops guide and presentations. Since 2008 he's been a lecturer at the Master on Immigration of Ca' Foscari's University of Venice. He's held training sessions at the University of Pisa (Department of Civilizations and Forms of Knowledge, Comparative History of Contemporary Society and Sciences for Peace) and the University of Genoa (Department of Education Sciences) in 2013 and 2014. Lecturer and trainer in several courses at institutions such as the Local Health department in Venice, Padua's Hospital, Province of Venice, in collaboration with associations and cooperatives.
He wrote Maschere delle dannazioni e radici di liberazione (Masks of damnation and roots of liberation), the preface to the book La follia dei dannati. Franz Fanon e la psichiatria (The madness of the damned. Franz Fanon and psychiatry), Mauro Semenzato (IPOC, 2012) and Esperienze, sorprese e principi operativi nell'accoglienza di richiedenti e titolari di protezione internazionale (Experiences, surprises and operating principles in the reception of applicants for and holders of international protection with mental health problems), article content in La salute mentale dei rifugiati: un nuovo disegno per l'accoglienza (The mental health of refugees: a new design for the reception, 2012, www.serviziocentrale.it). Article Il counseling interculturale (Intercultural Counseling) is available in the network (www.aspicvenezia.org).
He has gathered together trade stories from migrants in the books Di tè in tè (From tea to tea, 2002 and 2008), Indirizzi sconosciuti (Unknown addresses, 2005 and 2008), Attraverso il Centro (Through the Center, 2006), edited by Genesidesign. He participated in the drafting of Vivere Altrimenti (Living Otherwise, Pratiche Editrice, 1997).

 

 

 
 

 

 

Lars Lööf is a certified child psychologist and psychotherapist and has worked with children in particularly vulnerable situations for over 35 years. Lars is presently finalising a one-year employment with the Stockholm child- and adolescent psychiatric youth unit, based at Södersjukhuset, one of the biggest Stockholm hospitals where he has worked with young people aged 13 – 18 with somatic and psychiatric difficulties.In August 2014, Lars will start working with International Training Programmes at the International Centre for Local Democracy based in Visby on the island of Gotland.

In the past Lars has worked with Save the Children Sweden, both clinically with young people with experiences of war and forced migration and as the responsible coordinator for numerous European wide projects focusing on children at risk and their survival mechanisms and strengths.

From 2002 – 2013 Lars was head of the Children’s Unit within the Council of the Baltic Sea States, setting up cooperation mechanisms across the region for professionals working with children at risk. Areas he worked with then includes children leaving care, children victims of online sexual abuse and more specifically children victims of trafficking. Lars set up training programmes for professionals so as to broaden the knowledge base, he initiated reports and coordinated projects. He has written articles and contributed to publications on the subjects and as coordinator he has edited numerous publications. Lars is a member of the 3rd EU group of experts on human trafficking.

 
      Natale Losi, PhD, family psychotherapist, medical anthropologist and sociologist, has extensive professional experience in various countries, having worked in Africa (Mali and Ethiopia); in the Balkans (Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia); Switzerland (Mâitre d’Enseignement et Recherche at the University of Geneva); Italy, in Milan and in Perugia as professor at the university. He is the founder of the Psychosocial and Cultural Integration Unit of the International Organization for Migration, Geneva and Rome.
Through his clinical and academic experience he has developed the ethno-systemic-narrative approach that includes memory and narration, especially within migrant communities, as a fundamental tool of cultural integration and resilience. Such ideas are discussed in his titles that include: Lives Elsewhere, Migration and Psychic Malaise. Karnac, London, 2006; Archives of Memory, supporting traumatized communities through narration and remembrance, (Ed), IOM, Geneva, 2001, Vite Altrove, Migrazione e Disagio Psichico, Rome, 2010. He is presently the Director of the Ethno-Systemic-Narrative School of psychotherapy of Rome (www.etnopsi.it). 
 

Philip has over 25 years practice, management, policy and strategic planning experience gained while working in central and local government. Whilst Head of Service for a local authority children service department Philip managed a number of separated (unaccompanied) children social work teams, leaving care teams and specialist multi-agency counter child trafficking and missing children victim identification and recovery teams.

In 2010 Philip was appointed by the Minister of State for Immigration as a safeguarding advisor to the Home Office and member of the Independent Family Returns Panel, a post Philip continues to hold. 

Philip currently acts as an advisor on the development of China’s Social Care and Child Protective system and the development of a professional system of Social Work across China.

Philip remains a longstanding member of the Association of Directors of Children Services Asylum Task Force and was for 2 years deputy chair of the Serious Organised Crime Agency SOCA /UK Human Trafficking Centre Victim Care Group and member of the Child Protect Group with specific responsibility for children's interests and welfare.

Philip maintains a strong interest in safeguarding all children in need and works closely with a range of statutory and non-statutory organisations across the European Economic Area EEA and Baltic Sea States and globally tasked with reviewing and harmonising best practice to improve child protective systems.

      Virginia Murillo Herrera is the Executive President of Defensa de Niñas y Niños Internacional-Costa Rica (Defence for Children International-Costa Rica and Board Member of DCI Spain). Along with being a Board Member of Global March Against Child Labour, Regional coordinator of the Plataforma Subregional sobre Trabajo infantil y Adolescente, Virginia is an independent expert of the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights (UNHCHR). An experience researcher and coordinator of different regional networks a initiatives; she also has been in different key international and regional Executive Boards of different international, regional and national organizations.

Virginia has over 23 years of experience in the field of Human Rights, development and international cooperation. She has a wide range of expertise in areas covering Human Rights, local development, Inclusive and Secured Societies, Child Rights, Local Development, Gender, Non Discrimination, Violence Against Children, Child Labour, Juvenile Justice, Health, Child Slavery, Child Trafficking, Migration. Experience on M&E, Building Capacities, Networking, Advocacy, Public Policies and National Protection Systems. A sociologist by training, Virginia holds a Masters in Public Management of Local Development and a Specialization on Preventing Violence at Local Level.