This year Open Gate La Strada celebrated 20 years of its existence and continuous work and support of victims of trafficking in human beings.
This publication is in dedication to all victims of human trafficking who have received help and support from the Open Gate/La Strada.
In its long tradition, Open Gate is committed to applying the human rights-based approach by representing and protecting the fundamental human rights and interests of victims of human trafficking and sexual violence. Furthermore, as a civic organization, it actively participates in policy and strategy creation, driven by the goal of minimizing the number of victims of human trafficking and providing better treatment for trafficked persons and similar vulnerable groups in our society. All Open Gate activities are based on comprehensive programs, aimed at information and lobbying, prevention and education, as well as immediate help and support.
This analysis is based on both desk (secondary) and field research. The desk research includes key international and national reports as well as research related to human trafficking in our country. The field research, on the other hand, includes semi-structured interviews with members of relevant institutions and civic organizations who have been immediately involved in combating human trafficking. As it is evident from Table 1, a total of 6 interviews were conducted.
The research is further based on the analysis of 168 files of clients who have been recipients of the services offered by CO Open Gate, dating back from 2005 until today. Data pertaining to the period between 2005 until 2011 was extracted from the From Safe Shelter to Social Integration of Victims of Human Trafficking (2011), while for the rest of our files, we created a questionnaire containing both open and closed questions. Once the questionnaires were completed, we carried out a quantitative analysis of the information collected.
For more information on Open Gate's work please visit www.lastrada.org.mk