Our umbrella company and our guideline

The two specialised counselling centres JADWIGA, for women affected by human trafficking, based in Munich and Nuremberg are run by the ecumenical non-profit >> LLC STOP the trafficking of women<< (GmbH STOP dem Frauenhandel). The company partners are the Association for International Youth Work, Bavaria and INVIA Bavaria - Catholic Association Social Work for Girls and Women. We feel committed to the tradition of these Christian women’s associations standing with women and girls who had the courage of travelling to foreign places for trainings, work, or personal development purposes. 

We also advise and support young women and men who are in conflicting situations or at risk caused by potential forced marriage.

Our goal

Our work constitutes a help for self-help. The goal of our work (counselling sessions, assistance, and support) is to encourage and empower the women in our care to lead independent lives.

Our way of working

We take up the clients alongside their needs. We respect their dignity, individuality, experiences, skills, and cultural background. It is crucial to realize the desires of our clients. Voluntary consent grounds the help offered by JADWIGA.

Multiculturalism is our strength. We work in a multicultural team, promoting intercultural understanding. Our work is characterized by the fact that counselling sessions, if possible, are carried out in the client's mother tongue. Accessible communication is important to create trust, further easing the procurement of our client's rights, liberties, and possibilities.

We meet the demands of social change with flexibility, cooperation, and mutual learning. We are continuously getting trained to develop the work of JADWIGA, thereby delivering high quality services to our clients. We further use the available resources economically.  

Supporting the rights of our clients in a partisan manner, we participate in political alliances to enforce the rights of those affected and fight against international human trafficking. Public information and prevention is an important field of activity for us, as is the information of supporters and donors.

Cooperation and networking are indispensable tools to achieve the best possible solutions for our clients. We act as mediators between government authorities, businesses, and politicians to ensure the implementation of our clients' interests, both in Germany and abroad.

Teamwork

As employees of JADWIGA, we take responsibility for our work and for the working atmosphere. Conflicts are addressed openly as we heed the interests of our co-workers. Our effort is based on appreciation and mutual recognition. We create trust and transparency through mutual information.

Basics of our work

We are here to help women regardless of their nationality, religion, minority, or ethnic affiliation and are committed to respect and promote human rights. If desired, we conduct counselling sessions anonymously.

Our work has been influenced by feminism: women face discrimination worldwide and their rights are curtailed. Discrimination against women is a major cause of international trafficking in women. The clients of JADWIGA have been affected by violence and crime. Nevertheless, we see them not only as victims, but as brave women who have actively sought to find a better life for themselves and their families and who have taken high risks to achieve their goals.