KARO e.V.

About us

Karo has been tackling forced prostitution, human trafficking and the sexual abuse of children since 1994. The aim of our organisation is to provide protection and help to children, young people and women who have experienced mental, physical or sexual violence.

The organisation works on conscience building, sensitisation and the removal of taboos in the areas of forced prostitution, commercial sexual exploitation of children and trafficking in women and children. But also the reduction of sexual violence to women and children in the context of an improvement in the health and social situation, as well as networking, are part of our mandate. The aim is to minimise infection with HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Activities:
• Street work: one of the most important areas of our work is with the street prostitutes and brothels in the border area between Saxony and Bohemia. We open our soup kitchen in Cheb once a month.
• Advice centres: KARO has two advice centres for children, juveniles and women in the prostitution and drug scene as well as for victims of (sexual) violence. The consultations deal systematically with the problems of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases as well as the sexual exploitation of children, juveniles and women.
• Shelter: the shelter offers peace, protection and help for children, juveniles and women who have become victims of physical, mental and sexual violence. The shelter has accommodation for victims of child and woman trafficking.
• Baby hatch: KARO maintains the first baby hatch in Plauen (Vogtland). As the last resort in a desperate situation, mothers can leave their newborns in our heated cots. The local Rescue Service is then informed, and the baby is taken to the Helios Clinic. Thus the child has uninterrupted care. Mothers can receive advice about this service by phone, mail or face to face at any time, and can remain anonymous.
• Work circle: representatives of the police, criminal court and youth welfare service, as well as doctors, teachers, NGO members and other interested parties work intensely together on the prevention of any form of child abuse.
• Emergency stop: in cases of major and minor emergencies, children and juveniles can seek help at any one of the 56 safe drop-in centres throughout the city.
Projects:
• Train Together: this project aims to draw together the expertise of various departments so as to optimise their cooperative work and to find the best way of training staff, so that those working most closely with child victims of sexual violence can access their relevant skills.
• EQUAL: EQUAL project partnership “Reintegration of Victims of Human Trafficking – Strengthening National Activists”
• AGIS: one of the framework programmes demanded by the EU for police and judicial cooperation in criminal cases.

Cathrin Schauer is the president of KARO.

On request we can offer other net participants advice, give a presentation, and provide up-to-date information and contacts in the field of human trafficking, prostitution, violence against women and children.