Katia Dantas Mello – International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children
Born in Brasilia, Brazil, Katia Dantas has arrived to the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children in September 2009 through the program Atlas Corps Fellowships, a highly competitive program for young leaders.
Her efforts paid off, since January 2011, Katia has been working as the Director of Public Policy of ICMEC for Latin America and the Caribbean as a representative with the interest of managing the implementation of ICMEC programs in the region.
She has been fundamental in the expansion of the ICMEC efforts and the extension on the region, with the collaboration of regional bodies, government representatives, and ONG. As part of her portfolio, Katia sensitizes the public about the importance of protecting the children and teenagers from the sexual exploitation and the kidnapping throughout the participation in social, national, and regional events. As well, she establishes important contacts in the region, exploring alliances, and creative and innovative collaborations. She is also helping the ICMEC with investigations related to key issues involving the sexual exploitation and disappearance of children and teenagers in all Latin America and the Caribbean, where her linguistic abilities have been a great asset. Before joining ICMEC, Katia has worked for the United States Agency for the International Development (USAID) in Brazil as the health program assistant where she also helped other programs including the “Young People at Risk”, and her participation in the USAID strategy design process against the people trafficking in Brazil.
Besides her professional dedication to the subject, Katia is a specialist in violence studies, in particular sexual violence against children and women, and the study of dynamics and politics relative to the people trafficking. Katia received a B.A. in Political Sciences and a Master Certificate in State and Civil Society in the University of Brasilia, she obtained her Master’s Degree in International Development Politics in Duke University, where she was a fellow of the Rotary Pro-Peace Program.
She was also selected for the Duke-Ginebra Program that is about worldwide politics and governance, a summer program highly competitive with intensive courses related to the humanitarian assistance and the human rights, completing her internship in the Migration and Health department of the International Organization for Migrations (OIM), where she has fostered her emergency knowledge and the multiple international implications of the trans border movements. In 2011, Katia was named as one of the 99 Exterior Politics professionals under 33 most influential years by the Diplomatic Courier magazine and by the Young Professional in Foreign Policy organization.