R. Evon Benson-Idahosa

R. Evon Benson-Idahosa is a thought leader and expert on the intersectionality of human trafficking and the economic empowerment of women in sub-Saharan Africa.

R. Evon Benson-Idahosa is a Nigerian native, thought leader, and expert on the intersectionality of human trafficking and the economic empowerment of women in sub-Saharan Africa.  She lends her expertise as a strategist, advisor, and consultant to organizations as well as state, national, and international governments.

For almost a decade, Benson-Idahosa has advocated globally for an end to sex trafficking.  Through her NGO, Pathfinders Justice Initiative, she has provided holistic prevention and protection services for more than 3,000 women and girls.  In her role as an innovative facilitator and trainer, she has organized numerous high-level national and international conferences, including Nigeria’s first ever Gap Analysis on Human Trafficking and unsafe migration.  Ms. Benson-Idahosa drafted and contributed to Nigeria’s anti trafficking and election legislation.  She has also conducted groundbreaking research on sex trafficking recruiters.  Alongside her team, her work has culminated in the production of Nigeria's first national guidelines for recovery service providers, law enforcement officers, judges, and prosecutors on human trafficking; the creation of www.HERSAfrica.com, the continent’s first one stop online hub of resources for survivors; and Edo State’s Coordinated Care Mechanism, Nigeria’s first state referral mechanism for local service providers.

As an activist, published writer, and speaker, she has been nationally and internationally recognized for her efforts to end violence against women, combat human trafficking, and in generating structural transformation of both the narrative of and the economic landscape for African women.