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Martina Vandenberg

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Vandenberg in 2014

Martina E. Vandenberg (born c. 1968[1]) is an American lawyer, activist,[2] and nonprofit executive.[3] She is the founder and president of the Human Trafficking Legal Center,[4][5][6] a nonprofit that trains pro bono lawyers to seek restitution for human trafficking victims.[7]

Early life and education

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Vandenberg grew up in Gilroy, California.[1] She attended Pomona College, where she studied international relations and was president of the student body.[1] After graduating in 1990, she earned a masters degree in Russian/East European studies[2] from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar.[4] In 1992, at the age of 24, she moved to Russia and founded the country's first rape crisis center.[2] She became a Truman Scholar in 1998,[8] and earned a J.D. from Columbia Law School.[4]

Career

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Vandenberg was a researcher for Human Rights Watch, for which she authored two reports, "Hopes Betrayed: Trafficking of Women and Girls to Post-Conflict Bosnia & Herzegovina for Forced Prostitution" and "Kosovo: Rape as a Weapon of 'Ethnic Cleansing.'"

She was also a partner at Jenner & Block LLP, where she focused on commercial litigation and investigations of companies that illegally bribed foreign governments to advance their business interests.[4]

In 2012, she founded the Human Trafficking Legal Center with support from the Open Society Foundations.[4] The center is a nonprofit that trains pro bono lawyers to seek restitution for victims of human trafficking. As of 2021, she has trained more than 4000 attorneys.[4]

Recognition

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In 2020, she was the commencement speaker at Pomona,[8] and was awarded an honorary doctorate.[9]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Waugh, Dexter (December 11, 1989). "32 tabbed as Rhodes scholars". San Francisco Examiner. p. 8. Retrieved March 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c Cidylo, Lori (November 19, 1995). "Helpful stranger: Young American takes Rhodes less traveled". Chicago Tribune. p. 485. Retrieved March 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Hingad, Vidusshi (October 7, 2022). "Martina Vandenberg PO '90 speaks on experience in human rights work". The Student Life. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "2021 Blaisdell Distinguished Alumni Award Winners". Pomona College. March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  5. ^ Haase, Linda (December 1, 2016). "Group pushes projects that benefit women, girls". The Palm Beach Post. pp. N5. Retrieved March 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Martina E. Vandenberg". Human Trafficking Legal Center. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  7. ^ "Fainess Lipenga and Martina Vandenberg Shine A Spotlight On Labor Trafficking". John Jay College of Criminal Justice. February 6, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Davidoff, Jasper (February 28, 2020). "Pomona announces historian and human rights lawyer as commencement speakers". The Student Life. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  9. ^ "Honorary Degree Recipients". Pomona College. October 29, 2019. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
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