Sudipa Dhungana is a dedicated professional who joined the Rural Health and Education Service Trust (RHEST) as a volunteer in 2007. She progressed to become the Program Manager of Project Stop Girls Trafficking and currently serves as the secretary on RHEST’s board. She works to prevent girls trafficking by spreading knowledge in different areas and by providing education up to grade 12. With a Master’s Degree in Business Administration specializing in Human Resource Management from Tribhuvan University (2000) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling Psychology, Sudipa has been counseling since 2020. She has participated in various training programs in UK,India and Nepal and has trained Friday teachers to identify mental health issues in the community. Her work in mental health management has greatly benefited RHEST’s students.

Loan is the Program Director for Counter Trafficking of Pacific Links, with over 27 years of experience in social work, specializing in empowering and protecting vulnerable youth and children in Vietnam. Her focus includes human trafficking prevention and support for victims of trafficking, advocacy for policy change, and collaborating with local communities to combat human trafficking.ok 

Mr. KARUPPUSAMY is a vibrant social worker who has a  master’s degree in economics under Bharathiyar University, Diploma in Rural Development, in Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu, and has a  bachelor’s degree in law from Bangalore University, Karnataka. His journey towards community development and social activities started from 1998 and He worked in various local and International Organizations. The years of experience made Mr. KARUPPUSAMY establish the Rights Education and Development Centre (READ) in 2001 to provide education to the children of most marginalized communities and to work for labour Rights. 

Ms. Sitoula has been working with the Terre des hommes (Tdh) Foundation as Asia Regional Migration Coordinator and Lead for Climate Change/Migration since 2023. Ms. Sitoula manages children and youth on the move programs in the Asia region, particularly in countries of presence (Nepal, India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar), and provides strategic and programmatic guidance on migration-related projects and interventions. Prior to this, she worked with the International Labour Organization (ILO) (UN specialized agency) Country Office Nepal as National Project Coordinator and oversaw the regional project that aims to reduce the vulnerability of unsafe migration, human trafficking, and forced labor situations of women and girls. Ms. Sitoula holds an LL.M. degree from the University of Notre Dame, USA, in International Human Rights Law. She worked as a Legal Fellow at Open Society Initiatives West Africa in Dakar, Senegal, and prior to that, she worked as a Program Coordinator at the Center for Legal Research and Resource Development in Kathmandu, Nepal, overseeing all projects related to labor migration and violence against women issues. Ms. Sitoula received an LL.B. from the Kathmandu School of Law (2008) and went on to receive a Master’s of Law in Human Rights and Gender Justice from the same institution. She has experience working as a Legal Fellowship Program Coordinator at Women’s Fund Asia, where she collaborated with legal fellows (women lawyers) from five different South Asian countries to identify areas of critical work and engagement for the regional fellowship. She was granted a Humphrey Fulbright fellowship in 2013-14 and was placed at the University of Minnesota Law School, where she studied Trafficking in Persons prevention and policy.

Prof. Ishrat Shamim has 4 decades of teaching experience on Gender and Development issues as well as courses on human trafficking at the Department of Sociology, University of Dhaka. She is the Founder President of Centre for Women and Children Studies (CWCS) and has been an activist to uphold women and child rights. She has more than 2 decades of professional research experience in the field of gender and development and has more than 40 publications on gender violence, dowry, pro-women and child-friendly policing, international women labour migration, women in informal sector employment, domestic workers, feminization of poverty, violence against children, online child abuse, abandoned children, street children, child labour and child domestic workers including 20 exclusively on human trafficking at national and international levels. 

Presently, she is a member of GO-NGO Committee to Combat Human Trafficking under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of Bangladesh. She actively took part in preparing the 3 National Plans of Action for Combating Human Trafficking 2012-2014, 2015-2017 and 2018-2022 initiated by the Ministry of Home Affairs. She initiated the ongoing project on “Gateway to Employment and Economic Employment for Survivors of Trafficking” in 2011 at Satkhira district which is a disaster prone area as well vulnerable to trafficking for the advancement of women’s socio-economic empowerment through income generating activities and job placement of survivors and potential victims in garment factory at Dhaka. She actively took part in preparing the 4 National Plans of Action for Combating Human Trafficking 2012-2014, 2015-2017, 2018-2022 and 2023-2025 initiated by the Ministry of Home Affairs 

Mr. Tanka Aryal, is a seasoned lawyer practicing at the Supreme Court of Nepal. He has been continuously engaged to defend human rights of people including the rights of vulnerable and marginalized people for the last 15 years. Mr. Aryal holds two LLM degrees in International Human Rights Laws from Kathmandu School of Law and Central European University Hungary. Additionally, Mr. Aryal completed different degrees from Oxford University UK and Tokiwa University Japan. Mr. Aryal has worked as a consultant and staff with different national international organizations including FHI 360, International Center for Not-for-profit Law (ICNL), UNESCO, World Bank, ARTICLE 19, UNDP, ISOC, UNDESA/DPADM. Mr. Aryal has been serving as Deputy Chief of Party for Hamro Samman and USAID Hamro Samman II project with Winrock International since May 2023. 

Vivian Anthony Isaac has over 38 years of experience in community programmes, developmental communication, organisational leadership, project management, strategic media planning and fund-raising gathered through working across various humanitarian organisations at the national and global level – human, child and sex trafficking, medical missions, disaster relief, microenterprise and safe drinking water. Currently, he serves as a Programme Director for the anti-trafficking wing of My Choices Foundation, Operation Red Alert and works to prevent child trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of children through community engagement. Vivian is a firm believer and advocates for partnerships and Operation Red alert’s entire focus is on building a network of organizations that support each other and strengthen each other, to be able to strengthen the communities that we live in. He has built a partnership base of over 100+ NGOs spread across 10 states in India, creating awareness about trafficking. It is rare to see him at the office as he is always on the move – braving bad roads and reaching the remotest parts of India to bring awareness about human trafficking and its related factors. He believes that the core of My Choices Foundation’s work lies in the smiles of innocent little children, the assured confidence of young girls and incredibly strong women who are making their choices to live lives free of abuse, violence and exploitation.  

Vivian holds a Bachelor degree in Law and Arts, and a specialist qualification in Public Relations & Advertising from Osmania University, Hyderabad, India. Vivian is fondly known as a ‘difference-maker’ amongst his peers. 

James had been working addressing the issue bonded labor in India while being Country Director of Aidet Action (Action Aid) since 1987, later South Asia Program Manager of Free the Slaves, Served on the Intl EC of WFM, World Federalist Movement during 1995 and 2018 and from 2022 addressing UN Treaties and conventions and President of South Asian Federalists. Was a NGO speaker at the I UN conference on small arms and light weapon (SALW) held at UN, NY in 2001 & the recently at the UN 4th Review Conference on SLAW, travelled to 54 countries and written articles on modern slavery /edited dozen books. Worked and lived in mostly Conflict and post-conflict countries like Sri Lanka, Afghanistan & South Sudan and served as CEO for 21 years with leading INGOs like Action Aid, Oxfam Novib, Lutheran World Relief, Mennonites, The Johanniter, INTERSOS   amongst others providing leadership at national, regional and international levels. PhD degree in Social Policy, Diploma in International relations (Stockholm) and hails from Chennai (Madras), India. Currently is Country Director, ASIAN YOUTH CENTRE-Srilanka addressing the plight of the plantation workers amongst other tasks. 

Brijesh Kumar Banvasi is the convener of AZAD SHAKTI ABHIYAN. A collective campaign by more than 600 survivors freed from different forms of slavery. 

11 years back he was working as a slave in a brick kiln run by a political leader. He along with 4 other family members had to work against the debt taken by his mother for food. The entire family worked for more than three years against a debt of Rs.5000. The family members had to work 12-14 hours in a day. They were getting only Rs.200 weekly for food. They were not allowed to visit home. They were not allowed to go for work for other employer. Once his daughter (age 3 years) fell sick in the brick kiln and the employer didn’t grant them leave for her treatment. Then his elder brother ran away from the brick kiln for daughter’s treatment. This made the employer brutal and he beaten up entire family very badly. 

Brijesh’s elder brother was supported by a CVC nearby their village and helped them to be freed from bonded labour. In year 2011 Brijesh and four other members rescued by SDM and labour department. A few days after the rescue the employer and his henchmen came to Brijesh’s village and caught his elder brother. The employer and his henchmen had beaten Brijesh’s elder brother very badly. 

MSEMVS and local CVCs supported Brijesh’s family to get police FIR, protection and rehabilitation money from the Govt. Brijesh was encouraged to participate in the CVC meetings and training and the awareness generation activities as well. Gradually he became an active CVC leader in his village and now he is making his consistent effort to liberate people from bonded labour situation. He is also a leading frontline worker of MSEMVS and now educating about risk and rights to the victims of bonded labour and vulnerable communities.  

Brijesh is now leader of survivor’s collective named “ AJAZ SHAKTI ABHIYAN“ 

Mirasol is a survivor of abuse and exploitation. She uses her experience and learning to give peer support and counseling to women who are at-risk of trafficking. She is working with the local government of Cagayan de Oro, the Philippines as a peer navigator to help spread the awareness of HIV-AIDS, Human Trafficking, and Child Rights.

Marta Furlan is Senior Program Manager for Research at Free the Slaves, where she is responsible for the design, implementation, and dissemination of the organization’s research projects. She is also a Non-Resident Fellow at the Center on Armed Groups in Geneva and the Orion Policy Institute in Washington D.C. Marta holds a PhD in International Relations from the University of St Andrews, where she studied governance by Salafi-Jihadist armed groups in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. Her academic publications have appeared in the Journal of Human Rights Practice, The Middle East Journal, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, and Civil Wars. She also authored chapters in four edited volumes and contributed analyses for Armed Groups and International Law, the Washington Institute on Near East Policy, and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. 

Ranjana Sharma is a Participatory Action Researcher based in CWISH in Nepal. She has worked directly with the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex as part of the FCDO-funded “The Child Labour: Action-Research-Innovation in South and South-Eastern Asia (CLARISSA)” programme. The programme’s goal is to generate evidence based on the lived experiences of these children in the adult world of work. Ranjana is directly involved in a participatory action research process with children and informal business owners. She has been advocating for the importance of listening to and involving children in the process of tackling the worst forms of child labour with policymakers, media, and civil society organizations nationally and internationally. She has also shared the children’s lived experience about an adult world of work at the margins of the 54th session of the Human Rights Council in the United Nations. Currently she is engaged in Research with Free the Slaves of Life as a Domestic Child Worker in Kathmandu. 

Equidem is a human rights and labour rights organisation working globally and locally to expose injustice, provide solutions and build the human rights movement. Equidem analyses findings against international and national human rights and labour rights standards and develops concrete, practical recommendations on how to prevent and remedy abuse. We work with grassroots and international civil society and trade unions in Africa, Asia the Middle East, North America and Europe, United Nations agencies and other international non-government organisations. Our work seeks to build the human rights movement and hold powerful state, business and private actors to accountable for serious human rights violations. At the heart of our work is our unrivalled network of field investigators who are based in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. 

Mustafa Qadri is the Founder and CEO of Equidem, providing overall strategic direction and managing all our projects. He is a human rights research and advocacy expert with 20 years of interdisciplinary experience in government and public international law, journalism and the non-governmental sector. 

Bryon Lippincott is the Head of Communications and Digital Engagement at Free the Slaves. Prior to working for Free the Slaves, Bryon ran a creative agency specializing in strategic communications and media production for NGOs in Asia. In this role, he partnered with more than 100 organizations and individuals in 13 countries organizations working with child vulnerability, anti-trafficking, HIV/AIDS, refugees, agriculture, poverty alleviation/community development, and education.   

He is currently pursuing Ph.D in Peacebuilding at Payap University in Chiang Mai, Thailand. As a researcher he is interested in exploring the role of rhetoric and discourse in shaping peace and conflict in humanitarian, human rights, governance, and emerging technology sectors. His dissertation research is focused on developing a comprehensive framework for navigating the complexities of self-determination discourse across social, cultural, and political domains. The research will examine how various aspects of self-determination demands interact and clash with the corresponding priorities and responsibilities of sovereign nations. The goal of this research is to facilitate peaceful and practical dialogue between governments and non-governmental actors regarding self-determination by creating a framework for nuanced negotiations that balance autonomy and agency for groups while respecting the sovereignty and responsibilities of national governments. 

Matt Friedman is an international human trafficking expert with more than 30 years’ experience. He is CEO of The Mekong Club, an organization of Hong Kong’s leading businesses which have joined forces to help end all forms of modern slavery. Mr. Friedman previously worked for USAID and the United Nations in over 40 countries. Mr. Friedman offers technical advice to numerous governments, banks and corporations working to eliminate all forms of modern slavery and is the author of fifteen books. In 2017, Mr. Friedman won Asia’s prestigious “Communicator of the Year” Gold Award. 

Jen Green is a lawyer by training and gender and economic development expert who came to Southeast Asia over a decade ago to volunteer with a human rights NGO in Cambodia while on sabbatical from her London law firm. Jen took up consulting for companies around the region and for international development organziations, creating community business plans for two villages doing ecological services in Mondulkiri, leading three business acquisitions by a socially responsible restaurant group, and being business advisor to a variety of microfinance banks, venture capital funds and other investment firms in SE Asia on increased their growth through gender inclusion and reviewing their existing products and programs. Jen is the VP for Partnerships and Advisory for Labor Solutions, a women-owned and -run tech firm based in SE Asia that improves the lives of workers through worker-centered engagement with employers and brands, and supplier-owned solutions for sustainability and human rights reporting that are scalable and create insights for action. Labor Solutions’ WOVO app and online tools directly identify, prevent, and support remediation of human rights risks in global value chains, including the very important risk of forced labor, a topic that we have worked extensively with Fifty-Eight consulting and their app Just Good Work to develop materials on for workers and management teams. 

Shariful has 20 years of experience in the migration, reintegration, and anti-trafficking sector. He is the Head of the Migration Programme at BRAC, the world’s largest non-government organization. Through rigorous advocacy and evidence, he is trying to ensure the rights of migrant workers and their families from the grassroots to the policy level. Under his leadership, BRAC has developed a comprehensive reintegration model, which has supported nearly 35 thousand migrants and survivors. Before joining BRAC, he was a renowned journalist in Bangladesh and wrote a series of investigative reports on migration and trafficking. He is also a member of the thematic group for Migration, Migrants Workers’ Rights, and Anti-Trafficking of the National Human Rights Commission of Bangladesh. Shariful has completed his Masters in Journalism, Media, and Communication. 

Email: shariful.hasan@brac.net 

Eugenio M. Gonzales is an Industrial Engineer with more than 35 years of experience in development work in the fields of strategic planning, project development and management, grant-making, institutional development, and policy analysis as a project team leader, consultant, trainer, and executive officer. At present, he is the Chief of Party of the Strength CTIP Project funded by USAID-Philippines under a cooperative agreement with the Partnership for Development Assistance in the Philippines (PDAP). The goal of the project is to strengthen local systems and partnerships for more effective and sustainable Counter Trafficking-In-Persons (CTIP) in the Philippines. 

Adrian Pereira is the Executive Director and co-founder of North-South Initiative (NSI), a Human Rights and Social Justice orientated organisation based in Malaysia. NSI’s mission is to build a society that prioritises social justice via solidarity building. At NSI, the social mobilisers team works with marginalized communities from the ASEAN region and beyond to create a competent and resilient movement using critical pedagogy and design thinking. Before setting up NSI, Adrian has worked with 2 UN-accredited international organizations, Pax Romana International Movement of Catholic Students (IMCS) and Dignity International. Adrian has also been involved in the ASEAN Forum of Migrant Labour (AMFL)  since 2012. AFML is the official arm of ASEAN which deliberates on labour migration policy. Adrian Pereira is also an Adjunct Professor with the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences & Leisure Management, Taylor’s University (Malaysia). He is also an External Panel Member of the University Ethics Committee (Human) under the Research Management Centre of Management and Science University (Malaysia). He is also a board member of CARAM Asia and an alumnus of the Diplomacy Training Program(DTP) of the University of New South Wales, Law Faculty. He is also an alumnus of the prestigious International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) of the U.S. Department of State. 

Aaboo Varghese is an expert in the field of human trafficking and modern slavery with an experience of 32 years. He has a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Mumbai University and he also has an MBA in Development Management from the prestigious S P Jain Institute of Management & Research.  

Aaboo was passionate about working for the vulnerable and exploited communities in India and he started working with several communities in the villages of South and North India before joining Oasis India in the leadership team in 2018. He worked with the leadership team for 6 straight years and later on he worked as Joint Executive Director and Director of Projects of the organization before moving on from Oasis in 2014. While working with different stakeholders through his career he realised the inadequacy of the strategies followed by most Anti Human Trafficking organisations where the focus was curative rather than preventive. With the vision to introduce better strategies for addressing human trafficking Aaboo launched out to start Purnata. Purnata was born with the emphasis on a comprehensive prevention strategy of vulnerable victims at its core while we also rescued and rehabilitated survivors.  

In the last over 10 years, Purnata has: 

• Assisted over 500 Vulnerable Individuals /Minors from falling prey to traffickers 

• Directly rescued 85 children and over 45 women and Rehabilitated & Reintegrated more than 40 Survivors into mainstream society. 

• Sensitised Communities on Human Trafficking to over 500,000 people 

• Provided over 2 million nutritious meals during the Covid crisis to families of commercially sexually exploited women, rag pickers, rickshaw pullers, HIV Patients, and daily wage earners in Mumbai, Chilkli, Kolkata  & North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. 

• Provided cooked meals to an average of 150 women and children in vulnerable communities, daily since June 2021   

• Facilitated Covid vaccination for over 300 commercially sexually exploited women and transgenders. 

Check out our website for more info: www.purnata.org and engage with us on social media: Instagram/FB/Twitter – PurnataOrg.  

Watch out videos at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtcBccJnZ-74nI93Uwf0sxw 

Kosal Hor holds a Master’s Degree in Public Management and Rural Development and brings over 20 years of extensive experience in effective leadership and management within Civil Society Organizations. His expertise encompasses prevention, intervention, and protection strategies, with a strong focus on advocacy, social protection, child safeguarding, and combating human trafficking, modern slavery, abuse, and exploitation—both in Cambodia and internationally. Currently, he holds the position of National Director for Chab Dai Coalition International Foreign NGO, which is based in Cambodia. 

Mallika Karunan (Mon) is the Survivor Advocate for A21 Thailand, based at the Child Advocacy Center in Pattaya. She works closely with survivors of trafficking and exploitation to provide legal support throughout their legal and judicial process, all through close collaboration and partnership with Thai and foreign law enforcement agencies and multidiscplinary teams. Mallika is a licensed child forensic interviewer under Thailand’s Ministry of Justice and is serving as a child forensic interviewer for the Pattaya City Government for all child victims, witnesses and defendants in criminal investigative cases. Mallika has been working in Southeast Asia anti-trafficking and child protection space since 2015. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from The Catholic University of America in Washington DC, and a Master’s degree in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York in New York City. She also serves as a global advisory member of Freedom Collaborative, an online platform and community of professionals and activists working to combat human trafficking in all its forms. 

Bart van Oost was born in Maastricht, Netherlands and completed his University studies in Finance and Real Estate in Hasselt, Belgium. In 2015, he left his successful banking career in Belgium to serve as Managing Director at C.U.R.E. Foundation, Inc. Since then, has been actively involved in the development and operations of Rancho ni Cristo – an aftercare shelter that provides girls rescued out of Online Sexual Exploitation of Children (OSEC) with a safe place to grow and heal from the trauma of their past.  

For Bart, Rancho ni Cristo is more than a job – it is a ministry that has opened his eyes to a different side of the Philippines. It has made him more compassionate and more understanding of others. He has learned that nothing can stop a dream that comes from the heart of God from becoming a reality. He sees his involvement in Rancho ni Cristo as a chance to be a part of something that is close to God’s heart, and to change precious lives for the better. This is his way of contributing toward making a better Philippines for the next generation. 
Over the last 5 years, Bart has provided the leadership and resource mobilization needed to turn the dream of Rancho ni Cristo into a reality. What was once a plot of land with 2 cottages is now a thriving campus that includes 5 homes, a staff house, and on-site school, cafeteria, library, clinic, and a small organic farm. Since it opened its doors in December 2015, Rancho has been “home” to 40 girls. It is one of the few OSEC-specific shelters in the Philippines today. 

Brittocia Franklin serves as the Executive Director of Global Shepherds Berhad, a prominent civil society organization in Malaysia dedicated to combating human trafficking and supporting survivors. With over 30 years of experience in human rights and social justice, Ms. Franklin has focused her career on advocating for marginalized individuals. She has an extensive background in community organizing and has led numerous initiatives to empower vulnerable populations, including migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. Her work also includes advocating for policy changes to protect women and children. Ms. Franklin began her career as a social worker, where she supported women and children affected by gender-based violence, including survivors of human trafficking. This early experience ignited her passion for systemic change, propelling her into roles in policy development, public education, and organizational leadership. Under her leadership, Global Shepherds has expanded its programs nationally and regionally, emphasizing the application of trauma-informed approach when working with victims of
trafficking with a focus on developing survivor leadership. Ms. Franklin is a regular contributor to national policy discussions, offering insights on trafficking trends and effective intervention strategies and has strategically partnered with law enforcement agencies, government bodies, and other NGOs to enhance the support network for trafficking survivors. Brittocia Franklin regularly contributes at national and international conferences, sharing best practices in anti-trafficking efforts. Under her guidance, Global Shepherds has developed several training modules and reports advocating for survivor-centred and trauma-informed approaches when working with trafficked survivors. Beyond her professional accomplishments, Brittocia is known for her hands-on leadership style and commitment to empowering her team. Her vision is to create a world where everyone can live free from the threat of trafficking and exploitation. Based in Kuala Lumpur, she loves spending time with family, traveling, and cooking in her free time.

I am a compassionate social worker with a strong background in Rural Development, dedicated to advocating for social justice and supporting marginalized communities. My expertise lies in GEDSI, where I focus on creating equitable opportunities and an inclusive environment at my work place as well as the communities we serve. 

Driven by empathy and a commitment to making a positive impact, I believe in human potential and have faith in community action to drive meaningful change. My work at READ Nepal uniquely positions me to engage communities in anti-slavery and anti-human trafficking efforts, empowering individuals and fostering resilient, aware, and proactive communities to combat exploitation and promote freedom of aspirant migrants.