Hellen Chinchilla

Experience

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  Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica

  Sept 2008 - Dec 2011

  Research Assistant

  • Research assistant for several projects related to Human Rights:"Evaluation of Institutional Mechanisms for Gender Mainstreaming and Women Machineries", "Centre for Productive Entrepreneurship in Talamanca: Family Farms Component", "Incidence of Intrafamily Violence in Students of the National University", "Education for Equal Opportunities from a Gender Perspective", "Prevalence and Incidence of Sexual Harassment in the University’s Administrative Sector", "Critical Analysis of the Women’s Studies Department in the National University.” Show less

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  Centro de Acción Pro Derechos Humanos

  Jan 2010 - Jul 2010

  Research Assistant

  • Provided assistance on a research project called "Study on the Situation of Children and Adolescents Migrating from Nicaragua to Costa Rica." UNICEF - CAPDH.

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  Instituto Interamericano de Derechos Humanos

  Aug 2011 - Dec 2011

  Intern

  • Reviewed and summarized reports on Latin American workshops on advocacy for women's rights. • Provided support for a research project on sexual and reproductive rights in Latin America.

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  BioIuris, Environmental Law Firm

  May 2012 - Jan 2017

  Paralegal

  • Preparation of briefs for administrative and judicial litigation.• Provided legal advice on water issues, environmental impact assessment, fishing, and wildlife.• Drafted bills, executive decrees and institutional regulations of fishing and wildlife issues.

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  MISEAL Project Alfa III UE, Universidad Nacional – Freie Universitat Berlin

  Sept 2012 - Dec 2014

  Consultant

  • Lead research on whether the National University’s policies prevent social inclusion and equality of students and personnel that form part of minority groups. • Preparation and implementation of the communication strategy to disseminate the research findings.

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  Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica

  Oct 2014 - Oct 2014

  Consultant

  • Prepared a manual for students to report cases of domestic violence.

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  Fundación Arias para la Paz y el Progreso Humano

  Sept 2015 - Nov 2015

  Consultant

  Researcher specialised in gender for the investigation Deprived of Liberty, Extreme Vulnerabilities: Costa Rican Case.

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  Frente por los Derechos Igualitarios

  Jan 2017 - Jan 2017

  Legal Consultant

  • Provided advice for the preparation of observations on LBGTIQ Rights in Costa Rica for the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

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  Cuso International

  Jan 2017 - Oct 2017

  Gender Advocacy Advisor

  • Designer and facilitator of training processes for members of the local community, for the prevention of human trafficking. • Coordinator of campaign against sexual violence in the region of Cusco, Peru. • Provided technical training for 300 women from local communities on leadership and political participation.

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  ACCEDER Citizen’s Association, Costa Rica

  Nov 2017 - Jun 2018

  Legal Counsel

  • Provided technical advise on LGBTIQ+ rights, women's rights and gender based violence.

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  Yanapanakusun Center

  Nov 2017 - Nov 2017

  Consultant

  • Provided technical training on gender related issues for the accreditation of the team executing the project on human trafficking

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  Frente por los Derechos Igualitarios

  Feb 2018 - Jun 2018

  Legal Consultant

  • Legal consultant for the preparation of reports on human rights of the LGBTI population for the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Rapporteurship on the Rights of LGBTI Persons.• Legal consultant for the creation of a timeline of landmark legal decisions affecting the rights of the LGBTI community.• Legal adviser for the preparation of manuals on human rights and the process for filing complaints regarding discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and HIV.

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  Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica

  Apr 2018 - Dec 2018

  Consultant

  • In charge of analysing for the curriculum of study for six majors from a gender perspective.

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  EHD Legal

  Jul 2018 - Apr 2019

  Lawyer

  • Lawyer specialized in gender related issues, human rights and diversity.

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  OIM - ONU Migración

  Apr 2019 - Sept 2019

  Consultant

  • In charge of drafting the Costa Rican act to prevent and combat the smuggling of migrants.• Worked closely with the Costa Rican National Coalition against Smuggling of Migrants and Trafficking in persons to draft the decree for the National Policy Against Trafficking in Persons in Costa Rica, recently in force.

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  EduCare Learning Ltd.

  Nov 2019 - Dec 2019

  International Researcher

  • Conducted research on education regulations for different countries in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

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  IOM - UN Migration

  Apr 2020 - Dec 2021

  • Worked closely with the Costa Rican National Coalition against Smuggling of Migrants and Trafficking in persons for drafting, validating, and supporting the approval of the Costa Rican National Strategic Plan against Smuggling of Migrants and Trafficking in Persons, recently approved.• Performed capacity strengthening activities with police officers for the prevention and attention of trafficking in persons cases.• Supported the Costa Rican human trafficking specialised public prosecutor on designing a strategy for the local groups to detect possible cases of trafficking in persons. Show less • In charge of drafting the Costa Rican executive decree to prevent and combat smuggling of migrants.• Provided technical advice to the Costa Rican Ministry of Public Security for drafting the Costa Rican Protocol for the detection and attention of possible cases of Trafficking in persons.• Worked closely with the Costa Rican National Coalition against Smuggling of Migrants and Trafficking in persons to draft, validate and approve the Costa Rican National Strategic Plan against Smuggling of Migrants and Trafficking in Persons. Show less

  • Trafficking in Persons Focal Point

    Apr 2021 - Dec 2021

  • Consultant

    Apr 2020 - Apr 2021
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  United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

  Oct 2021 - Dec 2021

  Consultant expert on gender, sexual and reproductive rights

  • Expert advisor on sexual and reproductive health for the external evaluation team of the Sexual and Reproductive Health programmatic area for the Fifth Country Program of UNFPA in Costa Rica.• Analysed the fulfillment of goals in sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence in the Sexual and Reproductive Health programmatic area.

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  Freelance

  Jan 2022 - Oct 2022

  Private Consultant

  Consultant for several actors such as international organisations and corporations advising on compliance.

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  IOM - UN Migration

  Apr 2022 - Aug 2022

  Consultant

  In charge of training police officers on the Protocol against trafficking in persons for the Costa Rican Ministry of Public Security.

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  Acacia Legal Costa Rica

  Aug 2022 - Nov 2022

  Attorney
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  The Warnath Group

  Jan 2023 - Dec 2023

  Technical Specialist

  Trafficking in Persons Technical Specialist

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  UN Women

  Feb 2024 - now

  UN Women Programme Coordinator for the Costa Rican Joint Programme against Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants

  • Program Coordinator

    Sept 2024 - now

  • Academic Coordinator

    Feb 2024 - Sept 2024