I worked in the Office of the Prosecutor in the Special Unit for Investigating Crimes against Humanity, which were perpetrated during the last dictatorship in Argentina (1976-1983). As part of my responsibilities, I conducted criminal investigations of crimes against humanity and initiate the prosecution of military and police personnel involved in the commission of these crimes. I gained knowledge and expertise in the investigation of sexual violence, economic crimes and child abduction in the context of a generalised and systematic campaign against the civilian population. I assessed the possibility of extending prosecutions to civilians, such as medical personnel who aided and abetted the commission of forced disappearances perpetrated by the armed forces. After my doctorate, I incorporated the use of participatory research methods to include the recollections of the victims in my investigations in cases where the accused perpetrators can no longer be brought to justice because they are deceased or unfit to stand trial. This approach is novel in criminal investigations of mass crimes.

I delivered seminars in Qualitative Methods (GEO257) at the Department of Geography of the University of Sheffield. During the teaching of this module, I had the opportunity to deliver a guest lecture about the use of participatory research methods in insecure contexts, such as war-torn and post-conflict countries, based on my professional experience as a human rights lawyer and academic researcher. I made an account of the obstacles, challenges and opportunities that I experienced in the field as a female researcher doing solo research in black communities in the Colombian Caribbean before and after the signature of the peace agreement in that country. Furthermore, I designed a workshop about participatory mapping in the city of Sheffield, where students applied an investigative method originally implemented among indigenous communities in Canada to reflect on how their own lives and experiences were linked with places. The use of this scholarship also helps to incorporate decolonial literature in the British curricula. I gained knowledge regarding teaching, small group teaching, feedback and assessment at undergraduate level.

I delivered seminars in Ideas and Practice of International Development (GEO6801) at the Department of Geography of the University of Sheffield. The group of students included master’s students, who were mainly international and coming from different disciplines and professional backgrounds. I was also in charge of daily interaction with the students and helped them, in some cases, with the design of their dissertation projects. Lecturing in this module gave me the opportunity to discuss international development from my own experiences in the field, especially in Latin America. I gained knowledge regarding large group teaching, feedback and assessment at the masters level.

I gained experience in student support through my work as a mentor in university accommodation where I provided guidance, signposting to specialist services and advice to students

I was the Logistic Coordinator for the Latin American Perspectives on the Post-2015 Development Agenda Consultation Exercise (Quito, Ecuador). This consultation exercise was organised by The Sheffield Institute for International Development (SIID), UNDP Ecuador, Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO) and the British Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). I was in charge of the logistics for the Latin American Perspectives on the Post-2015 Development Agenda Consultation Exercise that brought together more than 40 participants from 18 different countries across the Latin American region, including academics, social activists, regional and international NGOs, think tanks and intergovernmental institutions. I also participated in drafting the main results of the consultation as well as some more general conclusions about their significance for the implementation of the post-2015 agenda for Latin America and the Caribbean. I gained knowledge regarding UN Sustainable Development Goals, collective processes of reflection and the definition of consensus among a group of experts in various areas of development.

I worked in the Office of the Prosecutor in the Special Unit for Investigating Crimes against Humanity perpetrated during the last dictatorship in Argentina (1976-1983). I provided assistance to the chief prosecutor in criminal investigations of crimes against humanity committed by military commanders and police officers in charge of clandestine detention centres along the Buenos Aires province. I promoted the implementation of a protocol during witness's statements that involved the assistance of psychologists before, during and after these statements to minimise re-victimization. I gained knowledge in drafting indictments including counts on forced disappearance, torture, and extra-judicial executions. Furthermore, I learned about how the different military regimes in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay worked together in counter-intelligence operations in the region. These counter-intelligence operations in the region are also known as Plan Condor. Understanding the Plan Condor allows a better consideration of the implementation of neoliberal policies that followed the dirty wars in our continent during the 1970s-1980s.

I was the coordinator of the Regional Meeting of Female Voices for Peace in Barranquilla in the context of the Colombian peace negotiation between the government and the FARC-EP (The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - People's Army). The initiative was supported by UNDP and UN Women. Security measures were implemented to assure the integrity of the attendants, and the event could take place as planned. Female participants were from the Colombian Caribbean including former combatants, peasants, internally displaced women, indigenous and Afro-descendant local female leaders. Participants were divided into 6 working groups following the main topics of discussions of the peace negotiators in La Habana, Cuba, which are now the pillars of the current peace agreement reached in 2016: comprehensive rural reform, political participation, end of the conflict, solution to the problem of illicit drugs, agreement regarding the victims of the conflict, implementation and verification mechanisms. In this context, I was responsible for each working group to reach consensus, full participation of each attendant in the deliberation process, and the management of tensions and disagreements. My duties also included hosting side meetings with UN staff and academics who were observers of this process. I was in charge of drafting the final proposal to be submitted to the peace negotiators so that the voices of the female participants regarding how they envisaged the post-conflict in their country were included in the future Colombian peace agreement. I gained knowledge on the Colombian armed conflict, the several peace processes that took place in the history of this country, conflict resolution and the impact of the armed conflict at the grassroots level and from a gender perspective. This work experience was the foundation of my doctoral research project.

I worked in the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. I analysed documentary and witness evidence for legal submissions in the Mladić Case (IT-09-92). Ratko Mladić was former Commander of the Main Staff of the Bosnian Serb Army convicted for the perpetration of genocide, crimes against humanity and violations of the laws or customs of war. These crimes were committed by Serb forces during the armed conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992 until 1995. Ratko Mladić was sentenced to life imprisonment. I assisted the prosecutor on the analysis of violence against men and boys perpetrated during the armed conflict in the Balkans. I gained knowledge regarding witness preparation and gender-based violence. My internship in the ICTY provided me with legal data for my Masters's dissertation about sexual violence against men and boys and the lessons learned from the case law of this tribunal. Furthermore, this placement allowed me to understand the work of international human rights tribunals and their impact on policies on post-conflict justice.

I worked in the Office of the Prosecutor in the Special Unit for Investigating Crimes against Humanity perpetrated during the last dictatorship in Argentina (1976-1983). I conducted an analysis of the military chain of command during the dictatorship in the Buenos Aires province during 1976-1977. I was responsible for providing assistance and company to witnesses during the visit and identification of their places of captivity during the dictatorship. I gained knowledge of the chain of command in military and intelligence structures and the architecture of state terror.

I provided legal advice for individuals held in custody in prisons in the Buenos Aires Province, who were victims of torture and police abuse during detention. My work was to assure that the detainees did not suffer reprisals after giving notice to the authorities about the abuses committed against them. I was responsible for drafting a report about the situation of female inmates and their children (under 3 years old) who were in custody in a detention facility in Buenos Aires province to improve their living conditions and guarantee their access to health and education. I also offered legal advice on a helpline number for women who were victims of domestic violence. I gained knowledge regarding police abuse in detention facilities and measures to prevent it, the situation of female inmates and the effect of the imprisonment on their children, as well as domestic violence and legal advice in emergency situations.

As an elected member of the Board of Amnesty International Argentina, I developed a clear vision for the organisation through policies that set goals and priorities. For example, opening the scope of the organisation to the investigation of economic, social and cultural rights violations was a priority especially in a Latin American country such as Argentina. I also represented Amnesty International Argentina in international meetings, for instance, for the implementation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in Latin America. I gained knowledge regarding transparency and accountability in civil society organisations and fundraising.

I assisted senior lawyers who litigated before the National Court of Madrid regarding genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Guatemala and Western Sahara under the principle of universal jurisdiction. Universal Jurisdictions refers to the assertion of jurisdiction over offences regardless of the place where they have committed and the nationality of the perpetrator or the victim. I conducted legal fieldwork in the refugee camp in Tindouf (Algeria) to collect the testimonies of the victims of war crimes perpetrated during the armed conflict between Morocco and Western Sahara from 1975 to 1991. I gained knowledge in the analysis of witness evidence for legal submissions, and colonialism in the North of Africa. During my time in the refugee camps, I learned about protracted forced displacement, mental health and refugees and the reconstruction of elements of home under the circumstances of forced displacement. This experience helped me to reflect on these issues while investigating for my doctorate the effects of the forced displacement of black communities in Colombia as a result of the internal armed conflict.

I provided assistance to senior lawyers in the investigation of gross human rights violations perpetrated during the internal armed conflict in Guatemala that took place from 1960 to 1996. I delivered legal aid for victims of human rights violations, especially women who were victims of sexual violence during the war. Furthermore, I assisted the members of the National Association of Widows of Guatemala (CONAVIGUA) during the processes of exhumation of the remains of their relatives from mass graves in Comalapa. I gained knowledge regarding the investigation of human rights violations and psychosocial support to victims of gross human rights violations of marginalised groups, such as indigenous communities in Latin America. My work in the office was sometimes in partnership with MINUGUA (United Nations Verification Mission in Guatemala). Therefore, I had insights about peacekeeping, ceasefire, disarmament and demobilisation of combatants in practice.