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Blog contributor: Carlos Baeta*

The IPED commons has witnessed a flurry of activity with the arrival of 21 South Africans from the 2017 cohort that are currently partaking in IPED’s flagship Advanced certificate in Emerging Markets and Country Risk Analysis program. This study tour is sponsored by the Fordham University’s Graduate Program in International Political Economy and Development (IPED) and is held at the Rose Hill Campus in the Bronx.

Emerging markets cohort with Prof Salvatore and South African business and government leaders.

This year’s cohort includes top performing economics students from the University of Pretoria as well as employees of the National Treasury, The South African Reserve Bank and the Public Investment Corporation, amongst others. Whilst in New York, the students will partake in two courses, namely; Strategic Financial Management and Political Risk Analysis. Besides having the opportunity to meet with a number of faculty members, the students also have the opportunity to visit several international institutions, investment houses and major banks in New York and Washington DC respectively. This provides those involved with the unique opportunity to apply what they have learnt in class and simultaneously engage with business leaders and policy makers within the United States.

South Africans wearing their national colours.

South African students enjoying sightseeing on their time off.

After five weeks in New York, the students will return to South Africa alongside Fordham IPED and Economics graduate students in order to complete the Emerging Markets course presented by Professors Henry Schwalbenberg and Booi Themeli at the University of Pretoria in the country’s capital city. This is the eight year in which Fordham has welcomed South Africans to our Rose Hill campus. That said, 2017 represents the tenth year in which IPED has sent its students to South Africa in what has become a highly successful academic and cultural exchange immersion experience. The program’s growth is highlighted by the fact that it offers students the opportunity to develop the political, economic, and financial analytical skills that are needed to evaluate the potential rewards and risks associated with analyzing and investing in emerging markets. The programs continued growth in stature is emphasized by the successes of alumni of the program that have gone on to represent leadership positions in both the public and private sector across Africa and the world.

The South African flag adorning the at the IPED commons walls.

*Carlos Baeta is a proud South African and was part of the 5th cohort of South Africans participating in the Emerging Markets program. He is currently completing his MA IPED degree and will be pursuing his second MA in Economics at Fordham beginning Fall 2017.

Congratulations IPED Class of 2017!

We’re looking forward to hear of your future successes. We’ll miss you! Good luck!

IPED Class of 2017 during their orientation back in August 2015

On February 23, 2017, the US branch of the Vatican Foundation Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice and Fordham University co-sponsored the inaugural lecture of the Cassamarca Foundation Chair in Migration and Globalization, titled: “The Holy See and the Fight Against Human Trafficking.” The conference examined the realities of human trafficking today, what is being done, and what opportunities there are going forward. 

Attendees of the Human Trafficking Conference

The Gendered Nature of Human Trafficking

Fordham’s “Consultation on Human Trafficking” convened local and international experts to discuss the root causes and challenges of modern slavery. And while the panelists discussed different push factors – poverty, conflict, and forced migration – many highlighted the overarching role that gender plays in the human trafficking system.

“79% of people who are trafficked are women,” said Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the Inaugural Holder of the Casamarca Foundation Chair in Migration and Globalization, and the conference’s keynote speaker. “And while that percentage is decreasing, the number of women who are being trafficked in real terms is increasing.”

The human trafficking panel

So why are women so vulnerable to human trafficking?

“Human Trafficking takes advantage of global indifference and an economy of exclusion” said the Archbishop. Women still constitute 70% of the world’s poor, and have unequal access to labor markets and economic resources. Human traffickers prey on women and girls who have fewer routes to economic independence, and who are willing to leave their homes to pursue financial opportunities. Convinced that there is a job waiting for them abroad, women find themselves trapped in sexual exploitation or domestic slavery.  

Human trafficking also affects young women in the United States, particularly the homeless and those formerly in the foster system.

Jayne Bigelsen, Director of Anti-Human Trafficking Initiatives at Covenant House in New York, estimated that 15-25% of her clients have been trafficked. Most of them are young women with few mentors or family connections, and are trafficked by pimps who act as their boyfriend.  The pimp provides emotional, financial, and housing stability, and then forces the woman into human trafficking.

“At first, many of our clients will say that they chose that life freely.  But six months after they’ve gotten away from their pimps, they will say they didn’t really have a choice, that they had to do it if they wanted a place to sleep.”

Panelists also discussed human trafficking as a secondary trauma: “Many of the girls who are trafficked have been sexually abused at home.” said one panelist. “… We see that incest shatters the soul, and makes girls feel an incredible amount of shame.  If I feel that I am worthless, what would keep me from making these decisions (to follow pimps)?”

Given the gendered nature of human trafficking, panelists called for solutions that take women’s unique vulnerability into account. Solutions included training law enforcement officers to recognize when women were being trafficked, and better coordination across government and NGO agencies. Ms. Bigelson said the best way to combat human trafficking was to be a good mentor and a good foster parent to young women.

IPED students at the Human Trafficking Conference

Written by: Sydney Kornegay

Sydney is a first-year student in Fordham University’s Graduate Program in International Political Economy & Development.

Gary is a 2nd Year IPED Student interning part-time

Gary Tuorto (IPED 2017) currently interns with the the United States Security and Exchange Commission in their Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE). OCIE administers the SEC’s examination and inspection program to protect investors.  Examiners conduct examinations of the nation’s registered entities like broker-dealers, investment advisers and companies, and the national securities exchanges, among others.

Gary is a part of the Graduate Student Honors Program which is a 10-week program offered to current Graduate Students. During the Fall and Spring interns are required to work a total of 15 hours per week and full time in the summer. The internship is unpaid, as are most governmental positions, but the experience working at the SEC is invaluable.

Gary works in the Municipal Advisors area where his work includes examining both Municipal Advisors and Underwriters to insure no conflicts of interest arise and all regulatory requirements are upheld, reviewing both the Advisor and Underwriter’s municipal bond pricing reports and performing pricing regarding muni issuances, analyzing secondary market trading data for large deviations in initial offering prices/yields and for unusual transactions, and writing  detailed reports which are sent to his supervisors.

Gary shares his experience on procuring his position with the SEC: “I found out about the internship through https://www.usajobs.gov/. Apply to as many open positions as possible as there is no limit to the number of positions you may apply to and each division will interview the candidates they feel would best fit the position irrespective of whether or not another division is also interested in you. As such, you may find yourself interviewing for several different positions in different divisions at the same time which will increase your chances of securing an internship.”

While fulfilling his internship obligations, Gary is continuing his classes as a full-time student.