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About KOOFRA

Our Organisation Against The Trafficking Of Women, or KOOFRA for short, has been operating since the beginning of 1999. We are an independent registered organisation, financed in large part by The Free Hanseatic State of Hamburg. Our aim is to support and stabilise the survivors of women trafficking and to inform them about their rights.

What exactly is the trafficking of women?

The trafficking of women/persons is a huge human rights abuse issue and has many different faces. According to the “Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children” drawn up by the UN in December 2000

a)

“Trafficking in persons” shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of the position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitations, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude (…);

b)

The consent of a victim of trafficking in persons to the intended exploitation (…) shall be irrelevant (…); (…)

KOOFRA was established in 1999 to help female survivors of trafficking in Germany, and especially in Hamburg. We are an independent, non-governmental project.

How do these women and girls end up in Hamburg?

Even today, a clear and ever-increasing gap exists between the wealthier industrialised nations of the world and those so-called
threshold or developing countries. The women and girls of these countries confront considerable problems:

 

It is becoming ever more difficult for these women to maintain the upkeep of their families. Any sudden financial burdens become

 
   

insurmountable obstacles.

 
 

Young women have to contribute at an early age to the support of their family against a backdrop of rising unemployment and non-

  
   

existent opportunities for advancement.

  


With such a background, many women and girls decide to migrate. They want to escape the poverty in their homelands long enough to earn money for the security of their families at home or to build and finance a future for themselves.

Middle-men and -women target and approach such women and girls. They promise well-paid work in various industries, domestic and
au-pair work, kitchen work, prostitution, or even an arranged marriage offer. The women and girls are then asked to pay money towards
the arrangement costs and the cycle of exploitation typical of female trafficking begins.

  

An absence of legal migration possibilities and lack of information contribute to the problem of female trafficking

In recent years women from Central and Eastern Europe have formed the focal point of KOOFRA’s work. However we are advising and caring more and more for clients from many other parts of the world.

  

What awaits these women and girls in Germany?

Survivors of female trafficking are confronted with such a multitude of problems and concerns that it seems simply an impossibility that they will ever be able to solve them:

 

They have no legal status

  
 

They speak little or no German and for the most part cannot read Latin-based writing

  
 

They have no orientation within the area they live, often not even knowing the area’s name

  
 

Their papers and documents are frequently withheld from them

  
 

They have no personal possessions, often owning only the clothes they arrived with

  
 

They are not informed about their rights and become intimidated through systematic misinformation

  
 

They fear retaliation against themselves or their families if they speak out or attempt to escape

  
 

They are often doubly debt ridden because they have borrowed money for the journey which they also owe to the traffickers

 
 

They cannot tell their families what has happened to them in Germany because of the shame and anxiety they feel

  
 

They experience many traumatising situations

  
 

They don’t know where and how to get help

  
 

They have no means by which they can return home

  
 

How does KOOFRA help?

Our service is tailored to meet and support the social and psychological needs of these women and girls. Our most vital services
include:

 

Offering a safe and secure place to stay

  
 

Care and psychosocial support using carers with the same native language

  
 

Providing financial aid for basic survival needs

 
 

The Provision of medical help using specialist doctors

  
 

Support and accompaniment in appointments and meetings with Government and local government officials (Immigration, Social

 
   

Security, Police, etc.)

  
 

Legal advice using qualified and specialised lawyers

  
 

The ability to talk about and share their experiences to councillors

  
 

the necessary preparations for their return home, if possible with contact addresses

  
 

Support during legal proceedings

 
 

What other roles does KOOFRA perform?

Just as important for us as our practical work is working in the public domain and lobbying in order to affect long term improvements
in the area of female trafficking. Women and girls who are aware of their rights are better protected from exploitation. Therefore our role extends to the following areas:

 

Networking with other organisations on a national and international level

  
 

Involvement in subject specific working groups

  
 

The attendance and organisation of advanced educational and information seminars

  
 

Negotiations and cooperation with official authorities and offices

  
 

Fundraising

 
 
© 2007 copyright KOOFRA e.V.