Vocational training as an opportunity for victims of sexual violence

The countries of Central America are a hotspot for human trafficking for sexual exploitation. In this context, Costa Rica plays an important role as a country of origin, transit and destination for human trafficking. In addition, the country records a high number of other cases of sexualized exploitation and violence caused by poverty and lack of prospects.

This is where the work of the Hedwig and Robert Samuel Foundation's new project partner comes in. Fundación Rahab has been active in the fight against human trafficking for 25 years and is committed to combating all forms of violence and exploitation of women and girls. The San José-based foundation supports trafficked women and their children, as well as at-risk youth, in holistic prevention and rehabilitation programs. It helps them to come to terms with the trauma they have suffered, strengthens their social skills, and offers educational and professional qualification measures that open up ways out of the dependencies they have developed and show them new perspectives.

Specifically, the project, which started in July 2023, includes the modernisation of classrooms, workshops and computer systems at Fundación Rahab in order to improve or create new infrastructural facilities for vocational training. In addition, the women participating in the project will be qualified in a range of new courses. As part of the project, cooking, sewing and cosmetics courses will be offered, which will help the participants to build a new livelihood.

The project is financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Samuel Foundation and Fundación Rahab.