When Erin Williams joined the internship program at UCF's Office of the Special Assistant to the President for Global Perspectives, she only had an inkling of an idea of what she would be doing there.
She knew that at some point she would have to write about an international issue for her internship, but when other interns were writing about the more talked about issues such as the war in Iraq, Williams was introduced to the topic of human trafficking.
"Human trafficking is in the media a lot these days and it's a big issue and has a lot to do with immigration," Williams said. "The more I research my honor's thesis, I see how intertwined immigration policy is with the concept of human trafficking and how anti-human trafficking groups further immigration policy."
Williams won first prize in the undergraduate category of an essay contest hosted by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Her essay, "Confronting Modern Slavery: Germany's Determined Fight against Human Trafficking," was chosen among submitters from around the United States and Canada. Her prize will be a round-trip airline ticket to Germany, health insurance benefits and a grant to support her independent research.
"The German Academic Exchange Service represents Germany and higher education around the world to promote research and studying in Germany," said Peter Kerrigan, deputy director for the New York branch of DAAD. "We fund over 55,000 people to go to and from Germany every year."
Williams' essay confronts the issue of human trafficking in European nations and discusses the steps that Germany has taken to prevent it. Williams, who intends to receive a master's degree in women's studies, hopes that the data she gathers from her research will help affect public policies about human trafficking.
"Human trafficking is an issue in every country," Williams said. "I've looked into the United States and I know there are a lot of individual states that are taking their own measures to make human trafficking a crime, not only with just federal laws but state laws as well, so that they can further prosecute people for human trafficking."
Tackling such a controversial issue is one of the reasons why the DAAD's international panel of jurors chose Williams' essay.
"When thinking about changing demographics, so many things come to mind," Kerrigan said. "What was interesting about this, is that she is taking a somewhat controversial topic, modern slavery and human trafficking, and is looking at it from a different angle of how the demography and the population at large is changing in Germany."
Lisa Logan, a mentor of Williams and UCF English professor, said that Williams makes some top-notched arguments.
"She attends to a little-known but important issue that impacts women and girls around the world," said Logan in an e-mail interview. "So often, in the U.S., we are oblivious to human rights violations taking place on our very soil."
According to the Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking Web site, Florida is the second largest hub of human trafficking in the U.S. Williams hopes that the data she gathers will be the basis for her master's thesis in women's studies. She hopes that her research will affect public policies in the U.S. and other countries as well.
Williams will be taking a trip in October for two months of independent research in Berlin, Germany. She plans to conduct her research through observations and interviews, while visiting a few international organizations.
"Berlin is a huge center for immigration agencies, non-governmental organizations and sex worker's rights groups," Williams said. "I'm also hoping to work with the International Organization for Migration. We've been in contact and hopefully I'll get to come in and just observe and watch what they do."
The International Organization of Migration is a leading voice in human trafficking, Williams said.
Her internship at Global Perspectives launched her into a direction that she did not expect to be heading toward this year. In a few months, she will be in a different country and learning a different language to help further her research on a topic she hopes to dedicate her education to.
"I'm just really excited to get out of my comfort zone," Williams said. "And maybe try to learn a little German."
is a member of the 
Be the first to comment on this article!