Katia Krastanova is a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist at Animus Association, Bulgaria. She has 25 years of experience counselling survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, and human trafficking. She also serves as the public relations officer at Animus. Borislav Gerasimov, our colleague from the Anti-Trafficking Review, caught up with Katia to discuss ethical representation, survivor engagement, and what happens behind the scenes when a journalist phones up wanting to speak to survivors. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Borislav Gerasimov: What happens when Animus receives a request from a journalist to speak to a survivor of trafficking or other forms of gender-based violence?
Katia Krastanova: First I find out what they want to know. I ask not only about their concrete questions, but also about their sensitivity and familiarity with the topic, and whether they understand the limitations of speaking with clients [“clients” refers to the survivors who receive psychosocial or other assistance by the organisation]. I determine whether they would respect the survivor and ask relevant questions, or whether they just want general information that is available online.
