Juliana Ruhfus is an award-winning broadcaster and investigative journalist specialised in human rights and investigative work who now leads the European work of the “Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma”, a resource centre and global network of journalists, journalism educators and health professionals dedicated to improving media coverage of trauma, conflict and tragedy headquartered at Columbia University, NYC. 

Prior to joining Dart Centre Europe, Juliana spent sixteen years at Al Jazeera English as the channel’s senior presenter on the People & Power investigative and current affairs strand where she made over 60 films in nearly 50 countries including some of the show’s highest-rating episodes. Juliana has also worked as an executive producer for BBC World Service “Eye Investigations” setting up a unit in India, and as a filmmaker for Channel 4, WDR, NHK and other global broadcasters. 

In 2010, Juliana was awarded the prestigious Ochberg Fellowship and a year later, she received a scholarship for Harvard University’s Global Trauma Programme. In 2013, Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) named her as one of the top 100 journalists covering conflict.  She serves on the board of trustees for the Environmental Justice Foundation, and on the advisory board for eyeWitness to Atrocities, a project of the International Bar Association.

Juliana loves story-telling and narratives in all forms and shapes. Beyond her work in filmmaking, Juliana has created and produced the multi-award winning "Pirate Fishing - Interactive Investigation" and “Hacked” digital projects.  In 2017 she successfully applied for Google DNI funding to develop an open source chat-based storytelling tool and in 2022 she received funding to write a fictional TV series about the environmental movement in Germany, an ongoing project. 

Outside of her work in media, Juliana was twice appointed as a UN Security Council Sanctions Committee consultant tasked with investigating breaches of the arms embargo on Somalia.

Juliana Ruhfus

Basic information

Name
Juliana Ruhfus
Title
Reporter, investigative filmmaker, interactive storyteller
Expertise
Human Rights
Country
United Kingdom
City
London

Mentor for

A 'Degree' of Sacrifices

  • Education
  • Exploitation

COPENHAGEN/GOTHENBURG/OSLO - Winter is cold in Scandinavia, even more so if you come from afar and are used to warmer climates, as for many international students who choose to defy the low temperatures and buckle up to study up north.

Alexander Maxia

Filipino, Turkish and Bangladeshi workers exploited in Antwerp port

  • Exploitation
  • Migration

ANTWERP - In the summer of 2022, 174 Filipino, Turkish and Bangladeshi workers were discovered to be working illegally at Antwerp port in Belgium. It was the biggest number of modern slaves discovered in the country. Newspapers called it an ‘unprecedented case.’ This story looks at the ordeal of exploited workers, the routes of trafficking between Asia into Belgium which many have fallen victim to. 

Left Adrift: Climate Change Threatens Shellfish Farmers in Southern Europe

  • Climate
  • Environment

VIGO/TARANTO - Extreme weather events made more frequent and intense by climate change — including marine heatwaves and torrential rain — are wreaking havoc on shellfish production across southern Europe, threatening the livelihoods and traditions that depend on this important sector.

Life after Lead Poisoning

  • Corruption
  • Environment
  • Healthcare

KABWE – More than four decades after the news broke about the illness caused by lead poisoning in Kabwe, Zambia, journalists dig deep to learn how victims' lives have changed since the World Bank provided $65 million in assistance to the Zambian government.

Outsourcing Asylum: Rwanda's Role in Europe's Refugees

  • Human Rights
  • Migration

BERLIN/ROME- As more and more EU countries are looking into asylum agreements with Rwanda or other third countries, this investigation sheds light into what is already happening in Rwanda after the MoU signed with the UK government.

Resilience in the Era of Climate Change

  • Climate

BARCELONA / FAENZA  – This cross-border investigation examines the impacts of extreme weather events impacts in Catalonia (Spain), Emilia-Romagna and Campi Bisenzio (Italy), focusing on psychological effects. 

Uncertain Waters: the Future of the Świnoujście Mega-Port Project

  • Environment
  • Transport

SWINOUJSCIE –  What are the implications of building a deep-sea container terminal on the German-Polish border in the middle of nature conservation areas? The investigation reveals that the environmental risks of this project are largely underestimated.