Symposium April 2021

As from 2021 we will switch to two symposiums a year, one in the spring focused on human trafficking and organized abuse, and a broader symposium on trauma and dissociation in the autumn.
On the 10th of April 2021 we held an online symposium on organized abuse in the Netherlands making a comparison with the state of affairs in Australia. For the Netherlands we found Sanne Terlingen from Argos willing to investigate organized abuse in the Netherlands and Susan van der Woude who told us about the treatment options for victims of so-called loverboys, but also about the organization behind these pimps.
Sjoerd van Bemmel of the Fier Foundation told us about the successful steps that Fier has taken to get a more complete picture of victims of human trafficking and to offer help as accessible as possible (via a chat on the Fier site).
Michael Salter updated us on the developments surrounding organized abuse in Australia.

Lecture 1, Sanne Terlingen

During two years Sanne Terlingen and colleague Huub Jaspers conducted research into organized sexual abuse. In this lecture Sanne Terlingen gave us a look behind the scenes into the major investigation into organized sexual abuse and the resulting broadcast ‚Glass shards and Dark Rituals‚. (Lecture and broadcast in Dutch).

Lecture 2, Fier Foundation

In the Netherlands, more than 3,000 Dutch women and men are victims of sexual exploitation every year. Moreover, more than a third of these are minors. In his presentation, Sjoerd van Bemmel, senior researcher at the Center against Child Trafficking and Human Trafficking (CKM), discussed who these victims are and how this insight helps in shaping effective policy. Johannes Dijkstra, team leader Chat with Fier Foundation, took us through how Fier’s aid workers get in touch with these victims and how they help them. (Lecture in Dutch)

Lecture 3, Dr. Michael Salter

Policy response to organized abuse in Australia and internationally: A critical review.
This presentation will discuss emerging responses to organized abuse in Australia and overseas, identifying areas of strength as well as ongoing gaps and controversies. Scientia Associate Professor Michael Salter is a criminologist at the University of New South Wales, where he studies the criminological aspects of complex trauma, including the intersections of technology with abuse, violence and exploitation. (Lecture in English, please reach out to us via e-mail if you would like to get access).

Lecture 4, Susan van der Woude

Susan van der Woude, GZ psychologist and remedial educationalist, works as Head of Treatment for open and closed residential youth care at Pluryn, Utrecht region. Susan has approximately 20 years of experience in girl care within judicial youth care, Youth Care Plus and open youth care.

Lecture 5, Transgenerational Organized Violence

This lecture was offered online on the 12th of April at 20:00. A lecture by Anne de Vries and Bas Kremer, both board members of KTGG. Explanation about different transgenerational networks and how these networks keep their victims under control and how to recognize this in these victims of human trafficking. (Lecture in Dutch)