In the West, slavery is often thought of as one of history’s worst chapters. But in many other parts of the world, the practice persists to this day. Leonie Ruehe, a Northeastern University student interested in global affairs, was drawn to the topic of modern slavery when she saw an opportunity advertised by the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy, an independent, nonprofit think tank based in Athens, Greece.
The group, commonly referred to as ELIAMEP, works on issues related to European policy, international relations and security, migration and human rights. Founded in 1988, ELIAMEP is considered one of Greece’s leading foreign policy research institutes, contributing analysis and policy recommendations to debates over key issues such as European integration, migration and regional security. The opportunity connected some dots for Ruehe. As a political science major, she’d taken a class or two on human rights and was on the lookout for an international co-op that would provide exposure to the wider world of humanitarian policy.
