Lovely spring days bring all of Millikin's inhabitants out of hibernation to snack on some nuts and sprawl out in the shade of Shilling Hall! 🐿️

Today for Easter my Ukrainian friends from Kharkiv brought me a paska, a traditional Ukrainian Easter bread. I dislike everything about Russia's war in Ukraine but I am so grateful to have Ukrainians in my small town in Central Illinois sponsored by our local Rotary Club. 🇺🇦

#AcWri Saturday working on some more edits to my book Gendering the Saeima: the Politics of Women's Representation in #Latvia today. I had a Latvian colleague read the book and offer feedback on the anonymity of my interview data and thoughts on my findings and conclusions. 🇱🇻

The Human Trafficking Research Lab will be tabling at Take Back the Night this year. Thankful for the opportunity to support survivors of gender based violence, to share our research and fair trade chocolate with the community and for our collaboration with Growing Strong.

Rainy #AcWri Saturday today at my local coffee shop doing the tedious but necessary work of making sure all of my citations are listed in the references section of my book Gendering the Saeima: the Politics of Women's Representation in Latvia. 🇱🇻

The Human Trafficking Research Lab will be tabling at the Vendor's Market at Milli-Fest. We will have Lab merch and Freedom Studios products made by #HumanTrafficking survivors. Stop by on Saturday April 18 on the quad to learn about our research and support our work!

More updates from the Human Trafficking Research Lab on all of our work during March at the Central Illinois Human Trafficking Task Force meeting and various guest lectures at different universities around the country! Check it out and support our work👇 humantraffickingresearchlab.org

Most of the law is great but they need to change the compulsory reporting to police which might scare potential victims and survivors away from reporting. If Latvia wants to be truly victim centered this needs to be remedied. More caveats on this policy are in the article above!

Human Trafficking laws are my favorite type of public policy! This week the 🇱🇻 Latvian Ministry of Interior proposed a new "Law on Recognition and Support for Victims of Human Trafficking" which would include a national referral mechanism. t.co/my6v7xWGS0

#AcWri Saturday back to working on edits to my book Gendering the Saeima: the Politics of Women's Representation in #Latvia. I am preparing the manuscript for final review at Indiana University Press, getting permissions, and logging the art. A few more hoops until it is done! 🇱🇻

A sexual exploitation ring was busted in Volyn 🇺🇦 where women 18–35 were recruited through online groups about profitable vacancies abroad. They were promised high salaries, housing and easy work but sexually exploited in the EU. The Department of Migration Police arrested the organizers/recruiters!

We voted in our municipal primary elections in Illinois! Thankful for every opportunity to say my name, sign my name, and vote. I demonstrated my citizenship status when I registered 10 years ago and should not have to go through a process different from my husband. #Vote

The Model Illinois Government Conference shifted to the old state capitol today and students gave speeches in the same chamber where President Lincoln once stood. One of my Millikin University students even won the award for Outstanding House Committee Chair!

Haaaa you are probably right! I was just telling my students to pay attention to who is represented and depicted in the chambers and who is not... definitely in my element!

Being in the capitol building is pretty much the only reason I teach this class since I don't know anything about the Illinois government!

At Model Illinois Government this weekend in Springfield and I always love the night sessions at the capitol building. It's really fun for students to debate bills in the Senate and General Assembly chambers into the evening and see themselves on the big screen!

Yesterday I talked to students in POLS 471 The Politics of Human Trafficking at the University of Kansas. My advisor said that the class would not have been possible without my work. It was really humbling to have students read my research and know the work I started there continues.

Attended the Making HERstory: Women in Millikin Poster Display reception opening with a mimosa toast honoring the historical accomplishments of Millikin women who have made a lasting impact at our institution for #WomensHistoryMonth tonight!

Had a short #AcWri at the coffee shop today working on revisions to our adjudication article. The weather is nice so it was very busy and it was hard to concentrate today. At least I can always take my coffee and revisions to go! ✍️☕

We spent most of February working on revisions to chapters and articles. Much less glamorous than outreach work during #HumanTrafficking Prevention Month but vital to keep our research moving forward! Catch up on our work here: humantraffickingresearchlab.org

Another week of #AcWri Saturday and more revisions! This week I am working on a revise and resubmit for our #HumanTrafficking adjudication article. It's going to take me a bit since I have to explore new literature and do some stats but hopefully that will be good enough for the reviewers! 🤞✍️

Illinois Task Force on Human Trafficking meeting today! Very informative presentation from local org Emmaus on male victims of trafficking and the lack of services, screenings, and housing for them not just in Illinois but around the country. I always learn something new from service providers!

My husband knows my love language...caramel chocolates and Ukrainian books about the place where we used to live! Happy Valentine's Day everyone! 💕 💘💓 💝🇺🇦

Epstīna faili: Cilvēku tirdzniecība – sievietes, vara un Eiropas klusā krīze Ir brīži, kad atsevišķi skandāli uz īsu laiku izgaismo sistēmas, kas parasti ir klātesošas, bet neredzamas. Arī šajā raidījumā esam izlēmuši pievērsties tā dēvētajai Epstīna lietai. Jaunākajos mediju ...

I was on Latvijas Radio's (ne)Diplomātiskās pusdienas podcast today talking about the Epstein files and their connections to Latvia. You can listen to the episode in 🇱🇻 'Epstīna faili: Cilvēku tirdzniecība – sievietes, vara un Eiropas klusā krīze" here! lr1.lsm.lv/lv/raksts/ne...

Thanks! Still more edits likely but nice to take a break from it for a while!

Sent my book manuscript off to my editor this week and onto the next deadline for this Chapter on Human Trafficking and Forced Criminality in Wartime part of an edited volume on Ukraine. #AcWri Saturday at my local coffee shop continues.... 🇺🇦☕✍️

Senior night at Millikin wrestling and I went to support one of my graduating students. I always try to go to my student's sports before they graduate and it was my first wrestling match. Didn't really know what was happening but I have had three students on the team in class!

When the only time that works for everyone in our borderlands travel class is 5 pm on a Friday you bring pizza. Nothing like a Friday night with 8 students, 5 pizzas, and the history of the Baltic States to 1918 🍕! #BalticImmersion 🇱🇻🇱🇹🇪🇪🇫🇮

Spent last night listening to Human Rights Defender Maksym Butkevych discuss his two years & four months of captivity as a Ukrainian POW. His entire testimony was a chronicle of Russian violations of international law & the Geneva Convention. An impactful night that will stay with me. 🇺🇦

January was a busy month for us in the Human Trafficking Research Lab at Millikin University. Catch up on all of our outreach work during Human Trafficking Prevention Month and my reflections on our panel discussion last week. humantraffickingresearchlab.org