A USAID grant recipient, Vera Lesko of the Vatra Center in Albania, was honored today by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton upon the release of the State Department’s 2009 Trafficking in Persons Report

Ms. Lesko, a pioneer in the fight against human trafficking in Albania, was one of nine Trafficking In Persons Heroes recognized by the Secretary of State

Secretary of State Clinton highlighted Ms. Lesko’s story noting, “Her commitment to her work has come with costs and dangers. Vera has been attacked and beaten several times by those people who benefit from the illegal trade in women and girls. She even had to send her daughter to live abroad for her safety. But nothing has stopped Vera from continuing to advocate for the women and girls of Albania and their right to live in peace and safety.” The Vatra Center is the first organization in Albania to work with human trafficking victims."

Since 2004, USAID has supported Ms. Lesko and her staff with grant and capacity building support from The Albania Initiative: Coordinated Action Against Human Trafficking (CAAHT), implemented by Creative Associates International. CAAHT has funded 22 local organizations to implement more than 40 projects combating trafficking of Albanian women and children.

Ms. Lesko’s work began in Vlora, a city of 60,000 in southwest Albania and a major gateway for traffickers who ferry their victims to Italian ports.  After conducting 500 interviews with politicians, community representatives and trafficked girls, Ms. Lesko came to the stunning realization that human trafficking was widely practiced in Vlora. She began working to support otherwise isolated victims of trafficking directly. On one occasion, a local trafficker she reported to the police followed her home, threatening to traffic Ms. Lesko’s own daughter unless she dropped her allegations.

Charito Kruvant, Creative’s President and CEO, said “Vera is a truly courageous leader. Her leadership, commitment to excellence and caring have made a genuine difference in the lives of women and girls who are victims or targets of human trafficking crimes.”

After receiving her award from the Secretary of State, Ms. Lesko said, “I felt like crying. It is 12-years and literally my work and blood, and this represents a crowning achievement.”