Melanie Doucakis

Melanie’s passionate pursuit of knowledge on human trafficking began in 2007 as a documentary photographer and media professional. She is currently the Office Manager at Child Soldiers International in London, an organization working to end the recruitment of children for military exploitation, where she provides operational, communications and programmatic support, and contributes to research activities. Melanie also volunteers her research skills to the Cambridge Centre for Applied Research in Human Trafficking (CCARHT). Previously Melanie worked as Communications and Operations Coordinator at STOP THE TRAFFIK.

Prior to her 2014 relocation from South Africa, Melanie was the Child Protection & Trafficking Programme Manager at Media Monitoring Africa, a research organization in Johannesburg that promotes human rights and democracy through the media, where she led two successive research projects. This followed her extensive investigation work throughout South Africa, which included identifying and documenting cases, liaising with police and social care providers on intervention activities, and network building with a fledging anti-trafficking sector, eventually as a founding advisor to the formation of the National Freedom Network. To increase her capacity and knowledge further, Melanie is undertaking her MSc in International Development and Social Anthropology at Birkbeck University of London in Oct 2017.