Graduate School
Northeastern University

Undergraduate School
Boston College

Mentor
Renee Landers, Suffolk University Law School and Rappaport Institute Advisory Board Member

Agency
City of Boston, Office for Women’s Advancement

Supervisor
Megan Costello, Commissioner, City of Boston’s Women’s Commission

Description of Fellowship
Rebecca’s summer fellowship was at the City of Boston Mayor’s Office of Women’s Advancement. The office promotes equal rights and opportunities for women and girls in the city of Boston. Specifically, Rebecca worked on projects involving sexual exploitation (i.e. sex trafficking and prostitution) in the city. Rebecca’s primary summer project was an examination of how the hotel industry in the city of Boston comes into contact with victims of sexual exploitation. The goal was to gain a better understanding of the scope of sexual exploitation in the city and develop a plan for training hotel employees to recognize and respond to sexual exploitation in their workplaces. This work included collaboration with relevant stakeholders, including staff from the Mayor’s office, the Boston Police Human Trafficking Unit, and a local non-profit. In addition, Rebecca conducted focus groups with law enforcement, hotel security and management personnel, and survivors of sexual exploitation. The final project consisted of a report to Mayor Walsh with concrete recommendations for how the city can work to end sexual exploitation in Boston hotels.