Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings

Melita Gruevska-Graham is Head of ICMPD’s Anti-Trafficking Programme. With 17 years of professional experience in the anti-trafficking field, as Head of Programme she directs delivery of the anti-trafficking expertise and technical assistance at national and regional levels world-wide. She brings wide-ranging expertise related to all aspects of anti-trafficking responses and policies, as well as an extensive global network.  She has longstanding experience in managing single and multi-country projects, including in-depth research of the trafficking phenomenon. Ms Gruevska-Graham has extensive expert knowledge in the area of anti-trafficking, specifically in capacity building activities, developing national anti-trafficking strategies and action plans, developing and implementing national and transnational referral mechanisms, including standard operating procedures for identification and referral of trafficked persons. 

Madis Vainomaa, LLM, is a lawyer and psychotherapist, with 20+ years of experience in human rights protection issues with the main focus on combating trafficking in human beings and addressing vulnerabilities in irregular and mixed migration, improving the institutional capacities and response mechanisms to address human trafficking, protection of the rights of refugees and IDPs, monitoring and investigating human rights issues.

Edgar Federzoni dos Santos serves as Project Manager of ICMPD’s Anti-Trafficking Programme. In the last 11 years, he has implemented and led initiatives within ICMPD to combat human trafficking across various countries and regions. He has coordinated and facilitated the development and adoption of national and regional policies, which have been instrumental in enabling civil society, governmental institutions, and law enforcement agencies to detect and offer effective protection to victims of trafficking. Mr Federzoni dos Santos has worked in the entire spectrum of the combat against trafficking, from conducting field research, devising legal instruments, and building the capacities of stakeholders to prevent, identify, investigate, and tackle trafficking cases in over 20 countries.

Ivanka Hainzl works as an Anti-Trafficking Specialist at ICMPD. For 11 years, she was part of the organisation’s Anti-Trafficking Programme. Currently, her professional focus is capacity-building projects targeting the national anti-trafficking stakeholders, as well as the development and implementation of various national anti-trafficking policy frameworks.

Prior to ICMPD, she served as Senior Expert to the Secretariat of the National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, within the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Bulgaria. She implemented anti-trafficking projects at CARE International Bulgaria and the NGO Animus Association Foundation/LaStrada Bulgaria.

Mrs Hainzl holds an MA in Clinical and Counselling Psychology and has extensive training and experience in providing psychological and social support to victims of violence, incl. THB victims.

Sanja Milenkovikj Bojadjieva works as a Junior Project Officer at ICMPD. For 6 years, she was part of the organisation’s Anti-Trafficking Programme. She has a decade long experience in migration related issues, including asylum, irregular migration, and trafficking in human beings. She is passionate about advancing the human rights, dignity, and security of migrants and victims of trafficking.

Prior to ICMPD, Sanja Milenkovikj Bojadjieva implemented projects related to human rights, asylum, and migration in the NGO Macedonian Young Lawyers Association (MYLA) in North Macedonia.

Mrs Milenkovikj Bojadjieva holds an MS in Mass Media and Politics and a BA in International Relations and Diplomacy from the University of Bologna.