Vera Lesko - Albania

Vera Lesko was one of the first people in Albania to recognize the problem of human trafficking. Since 1997, she has risked danger to herself and her family to protect trafficking victims and prevent young women from falling prey to traffickers. In 2001, Ms. Lesko's organization, The Hearth Psycho- Social Center, opened the first shelter in the country for trafficked Albanian women and girls. Along with a safe place to stay, the shelter offers returned victims legal and medical counseling, educational training, employment assistance, and family mediation services. As a result of her work, Ms. Lesko has been beaten in public several times and felt it necessary to send her daughter to live with relatives in Italy because of threats to her safety. Despite these regular attacks and her recent battle with breast cancer, Ms. Lesko continues her commitment to protect women and combat human trafficking.