Approximately 300 students at Long Beach High School received important lessons from award-winning international human rights statistician and author Dr. Davina Durgana on Nov. 20. She discussed the troubling yet prevalent issue of global human trafficking, a matter in which she specializes and works to help abolish. 

Members of IB Social and Cultural Anthropology, Theory of Knowledge and IB Global Politics classes attended informative and impactful presentations led by Dr. Durgana. She emphasized examples of modern slavery crises that exist in parts of the world and how women and children become forced into it. 

Dr. Durgana also attended the IB Global Politics class, where she answered follow-up inquiries from students. They asked how she contacts victims, how to avoid buying products made by slave workers, what the government can do to stop trafficking and other thought-provoking questions. She shared her contact information so that students can reach her for their engagement activity. 

A report co-author and senior statistician on the Walk Free Foundation’s Global Slavery Index, Dr. Durgana has developed leading global models to assess risk and vulnerability to modern slavery. She is also an assistant professor of sustainable development at SIT Graduate Institute in Washington, D.C. and serves on several expert groups for the United Nations, the Department of Justice and the National Science Foundation. She has also worked as a sex trafficking specialist with the National Court-Appointed Special Advocates in Washington, D.C. and has used her knowledge as a member of Volunteer Fire Departments and an EMT to develop human trafficking-specific protocols for training and continuing education requirements. She has additionally been involved in numerous other outreach initiatives that focus on women and children.