How might computer scientists work with communities in facilitating meaningful social change? In this project, we make a case for an approach that builds upon what the individuals and community already have---their assets---rather than emphasizing "user's needs" as typically postulated by human-centered design. We present details of our four-year-long assets-based engagement with an anti-trafficking organization in Nepal and the sex trafficking survivors supported by the organization. We explored the potential role that socio-technical systems and technology designers can play in assisting the survivors to build on their existing assets towards their vision of "dignified reintegration". The research involves three fieldwork and a remote study, each one leveraging carefully tailored socio-technical systems to investigate a design proposition. We present an operationalizable definition of assets and a framework of action to leverage assets in realizing change at an individual and institutional level. We describe the conditions that influenced the possibilities for our interventions and the factors that guided the design of the socio-technical systems. We further highlight how we adapted our methods to the local resources and practices in order to foster a space that promoted comfort and control to the study participants. The detailed account of our approach aims to provide a justification for undertaking slow, incremental steps with the community. / Doctor of Philosophy / Human trafficking survivors face a myriad of challenges in their reintegration journey. Working with an anti-trafficking organization in Nepal, I explored the potential role that technology and technology designers can play in assisting the survivors in their reintegration journey. The research involved three forays into fieldwork and a remote study, each one leveraging carefully tailored activities to investigate the possibilities for the survivors to be in a position of power once they leave the shelter home. The activities included technology such as a specifically tailored web application contextualized around the survivors' existing strengths but also involved non-digital components such as collectively envisioning broader possibilities and alternative futures and discussing ways in which the survivors could engage with local actors to mitigate societal problems they had seen near their homes. In all these activities, I adapted local practices and materials to promote a safe space for the survivors to participate from within their realm of comfort. This dissertation illuminates a potential pathway to engage in long-term community-based research with vulnerable populations. In particular, it makes a case for an approach that builds upon what the individuals and community already have, that is, their assets. The work illuminates ways to identify and build upon assets to support the survivors. Using the work, we make a case for undertaking slow, incremental steps as part of assets-based engagement with communities. The work emphasizes the need for technology developers to understand their responsibilities and carefully contemplate what elements of a situation or design allow ethical intervention. Finally, the work emphasizes the need for developers to be cognizant of how design of technology is tied up with the larger, multi-level system in which technology use is embedded.

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The main aims of the thesis is to explore the situation and awareness of youth on labour market, to evaluate existing political instruments and to suggest a recommendation for the most effective intrument to makte the situation better. I follow these aims by executing a secondary data analysis, an expert interviews with workers of IPS in Central Bohemia, Regional labour office in Příbram and VÚPSV, furthermore I follow these aims by my own survey within 5 chosen high schools in Central Bohemia. The thesis focuses on exploration of the issue from perspective of future graduates on labour market, as well as the perspective of IPS workers (as the main stakeholder), who actively works with unemployed youth or future graduates on daily basis. According to the research I concluded, that the most effective instrument for the chosen group is consultation, which is provided mainly by the IPS workers. There are various types of consultation in the region and therefore various levels of future graduates awareness. The consultation should by unified in every Central Bohemia region. To make this possible, it is needed to create good working conditions to the IPS workers. After the reform of labour offices the conditions are not very satisfiing due to personal changes, resposibility changes and technological...

La notion de personne vulnérable est employée de manière exponentielle dansdifférentes branches du droit international contemporain. Si elle est rarement définie par lesacteurs qui l’emploient, la notion désigne un individu dont la faiblesse et/ou la situationparticulière le prédispose à la réalisation d’un risque grave. La personne vulnérable recouvreainsi des hypothèses diversifiées. La plasticité de la notion permet une protectionfonctionnelle de l’individu, adaptable selon ses besoins. La personne vulnérable s’insère ainsidans le droit positif, sans que sa définition ne soit précisée, tout comme, en conséquence, sesbénéficiaires et les modalités de protection de ceux-ci. Mais précisément parce que la notionproduit des effets juridiques, sa conceptualisation devient nécessaire. Dès lors qu’elle prendune réalité en droit international, elle influence l’ordonnancement juridique mais égalementl’environnement social qu’il traduit, et suscite ainsi de profondes remises en questionthéoriques. / The term vulnerable person is more and more frequently used in the different fieldsof contemporary international law. Although rarely defined when used, a vulnerable personcan be understood as an individual whose weakness and/or particular situation predisposeshim to serious risks. The term can then cover various situations. The adaptability of the termenables a practical protection of the individual, according to each specific need. The term ofvulnerable person thus takes a place in the positive law without any specific and expressdefinition. As a consequence, neither the beneficiaries nor the terms of protection of the latterare defined. However, as the identification of an individual as a vulnerable person produceslegal effects, the conceptualization of such term becomes necessary. As it has become areality in international law, it influences not only the legal order but also the socialenvironment, and as a consequence arouses theoretical questionings.