Meet the Heroes

In 1992, Manuel Capellin joined Covenant House’s Casa Alianza Honduras, and began caring for street youth, homeless children, and victims of trafficking.

As the Northwest Regional Coordinator for the Justice and Peace Service in Cameroon, Laura Anyola Tufon has targeted child and forced labor.

Marilyn Carlson Nelson, CEO of Carlson Companies, has been a role model for promoting social corporate accountability.

Queen Silvia was the Patron of the First World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of children, held in 1996 in Stockholm.

A French NGO worker, Pierre Legros and a trafficking victim, Somaly Mam, founded one of the most influential sex trafficking NGOs in Asia.

The Principal of a large Islamic School in Indonesia, Kyai Husein Muhammad ran an extensive media campaign against human trafficking.

As a prosecutor in Ecuador, Lucy Blacio courageously pursued the first cases to be prosecuted under Ecuador’s anti-human trafficking statutes.

Patience Quaye joined the Ghana Police Service in 1977, and now serves as the Director of its Anti-Human Trafficking Unit.

Dedicating her time, her money, and her effort, Iana Matei operated for many years what was the only shelter in Romania for victims of human trafficking.

A social worker in Lithuania, Kristina Misiniene has tirelessly pursued support for victims, coordinated awareness campaigns, and facilitated cooperation.

Sister Eugenia Bonetti works with migrants at the CARITAS Listening and Reception Center in Turin, where she first became aware of human trafficking.

An international superstar, Ricky Martin and his foundation, created in 2000, have been extensively involved in anti-trafficking work.

Moussa Sow, once a street child himself, fights for street children in Senegal, providing support, services, and, when possible, reuniting them with their families.

Nobel Peace Prize Winner Kailash Satyarthi has freed an estimated 83,000 children from forced and bonded labor since the 1980s.

A politician in Morocco, Yasmina Baddou has been a tireless advocate for children’s rights.

Monica Boseff opened the only emergency shelter in Bucharest, Romania, in 2012, and continues to provide support to victims.

From despair to hope—Pierre Tami in Cambodia helps to regain dignity for the abused, vulnerable and jobless through social empowerment.

Thailand exports a large amount of the world’s seafood, and Sompong Srakaew has set out to make sure they do this without using slave labor.

A journalist in Mexico, Ms. Ribeiro first became involved with anti-trafficking work in 2000, when she opened a high security shelter for women and children.

Aida Mbodj is a powerful politician in Senegal, well-respected and admired, who used her political power to combat human trafficking in the early part of the millennium.

After witnessing the after-effects of a 1988 fire, Amod Kanth created the NGO Prayas, an organization for disenfranchised and distressed children in India.

Angelina Atyam’s fight to combat human trafficking was personal: the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) abducted her daughter.

Ansar Burney began as a student activist in the 1970s, and has fought for justice and human rights ever since, including for the rights of children.

Bhanuja Sharan Lal is the director of an NGO in Northern India, where he organizes communities, helps child labor survivors receive education, and assists rescues.

The Esther Benjamin’s Memorial Foundation Rescue Team have liberated many Nepali girls from circus slavery in South Asia.

Chief Togbega Hadjor is chief over the region which includes the infamous Lake Volta, where young boys are sold as slaves to fishermen.

The first woman to become an army officer in Burundi, Ms. Sabiyumva has taken a stand against the sexual exploitation of children.

A television personality, Dewi Hughes became the spokesperson for a Campaign to Eliminate the Trafficking of Indonesian Women and Children.

A former orphan himself, Gilbert Munda cares for children in vulnerable situations, specializing in those coming out of labor in armed conflicts.

Founder of Confident Children out of Conflict in South Sudan, she fights against child trafficking and exploitation.

Founder of Confident Children out of Conflict in South Sudan, she fights against child trafficking and exploitation.

Parosha Chandran is a human rights lawyer who operates out the UK. Both a cutting edge policymaker, and a practicing attorney, she has helped victims to seek justice in the courts.

Parosha Chandran is a human rights lawyer who operates out the UK. Both a cutting edge policymaker, and a practicing attorney, she has helped victims to seek justice in the courts.

Josue Ango is a driving force behind Burkina Faso’s efforts to combat human trafficking.

Adélaïde Sawadogo is a proven, unwavering force against human trafficking in Burkina Faso.

Chantal Sagbo Sasse has been at the forefront of Gabon’s anti-trafficking movement for more than two decades.

Kateryna Cherepakha is the president of La Strada-Ukraine, an NGO established in 1997 to combat trafficking in persons, gender-based violence, and domestic violence.

Ms. Apinya is the Deputy Director of the Stella Maris Seafarer’s Center, an NGO in Thailand.

Sandra Paola Hittscher has been a key figure in the fight against human trafficking in Loreto, Peru since 2016, overcoming limited funding and minimal staff to make significant strides to advance investigations and seek prosecutions of human trafficking cases.