Makara is an advocate of the High Court of Kenya. He chose his career as a lawyer after he was brutally shot by a police officer, wrongfully accused of a crime, and imprisoned. When the charges were finally dropped, Makara decided to go to law school.

Makara advocates through his work as a lawyer and has shared his own story to raise awareness and demand justice through media interviews and international speaking engagements. He is a founding member of the Kenya Champions of Justice, a chapter of the Global Survivor Network based in Nairobi and comprised of men and women who have experienced or lost loved ones to police brutality. He most enjoys seeing children playing joyfully, especially his own.

Makara is a founding member of the Leadership Council for the Global Survivor Network, an international group of survivor leaders who desire and pursue safe communities through justice systems that protect the most vulnerable. “I would like to be in the service of the Lord by bringing hope to those who have been treated unfairly and adding my voice to those who want to see change,” says Makara, “The survivor network is very important; survivors need support and mentorship so that they do not think about revenge. The network will help them resolve their pain positively and avoid drowning in it.”

Makara lives in Nyahururu, Kenya.

Speaker Overview

Travels from: Kenya, or available virtually

Language: English, Kiswhahili

Expertise: Police abuse of power/police brutality; biblical justice; rule of law; human rights; poverty; lawyer

Experience: David has delivered keynote speeches at conferences in the U.S. and has been interviewed by TV and print media in Kenya

Jakelin is the Coordinator of Survivors Network for IJM Guatemala, and she is currently a law school student.

Jakelin is a survivor of sexual violence, and she is passionate about helping other survivors find the courage to use their voice to fight for justice. She has advocated for the protection of women and children in Central America by sharing her own story, raising awareness through the media, and speaking to elected officials in Guatemala and the United States. She enjoys going for walks with her son and their dog, attending church, and dancing.

Jakelin is a founding member of the Leadership Council for the Global Survivor Network, an international group of survivor leaders who desire and pursue safe communities through justice systems that protect the most vulnerable. She says, “I am on the council because I am a survivor. Because through everything that I lived, and all the cases I have heard of, I am encouraged to seek justice for many little kids who are so innocent and vulnerable. It hurts very much to know of the cases of these little ones who are victims. During the time that you are suffering you can’t imagine that there is a light coming, and once you discover it, you realize you could have not imagined all that God had prepared for you.”

Jakelin lives in Guatemala City.

Speaker Overview

Travels from: Guatemala City, or available virtually

Language: Spanish

Expertise: Sexual violence; justice; resilience; survivor voice; advocate for survivor rights, dignity and perspectives

Experience: Jakelin has delivered keynote and breakout speeches at conferences in the U.S. and to congressional leaders in Guatemala, advocating for child rights protections and speaking out about the harm of sexual violence to society

Josephine is a social worker with a passion to serve women, children and families who have survived violence. Josephine was orphaned as a young girl in Northern Uganda, and she lived through a two-decade civil war that tore apart her family and her country. Her own story of struggle and triumph fuels her desire to help other women stand strong.

Josephine is an Aftercare Manager with International Justice Mission. She is now on staff with IJM Ghana, where she supports child survivors of slavery on Lake Volta. In her previous role with IJM Gulu, she counseled women whose land had been stolen or lives had been altered by intimated partner violence.

Josephine’s goal is to empower other survivors to speak out and break the silence. In her work she helps survivors advocate for their own needs. She has dedicated her life to championing lasting solutions and mobilizing leadership at all levels to ensure justice prevails in her community and around the world, so that girls and women are free from the threat and impact of violence. Josephine has shared her expertise and experience in the United Kingdom, United States and Germany.

Josephine is a founding member of the Leadership Council for the Global Survivor Network, an international group of survivor leaders who desire and pursue safe communities through justice systems that protect the most vulnerable. She says, “I have seen so many development interventions over the years. Many did not take into account the local needs and instead just focused on what a donor or someone who had not lived here or experienced life here wanted. I very strongly believe that for interventions to achieve sustainable change and meet the needs of survivors, they must be informed by survivor voices. I am keen to participate in the Leadership Council firstly so that the voice of a survivor can be heard, but also so that other survivors can take strength and courage from that example.”

Josephine lives in Gulu, Uganda.

Speaker Overview

Travels from: Gulu, Uganda (soon: Accra, Ghana), or available virtually

Language: English, Acholi

Expertise: Violence against women and children; intimate partner violence; women and children’s rights; women’s empowerment; human rights; poverty; biblical justice; social work practitioner; resilience; survivor voice; advocate for survivor rights, dignity and perspectives

Experience: Josephine has delivered keynote and breakout speeches at conferences in the U.S., UK and Germany, and she has been interviewed by media in the UK and Canada.

Lara is currently a student pursuing studies in science to become a nurse in India. Lara is an active participant in elocution competitions, dance performances and theatre through her school.

Lara is a survivor of commercial sexual exploitation; she was exploited as a young teen and was rescued from a private establishment. After spending time in a shelter home, Lara moved back home with her mother and sister. Lara is eager to finish school so she can help support her mother, who has health challenges that make her work in a hospital difficult.

Lara is a founding member of the Leadership Council for the Global Survivor Network, an international group of survivor leaders who desire and pursue safe communities through justice systems that protect the most vulnerable. She says, “I have found opportunities to speak up for myself and for the girls in the aftercare shelter where I lived. I was able to get the confidence to share about my life story, because of how things changed for the better after my rescue. I would like to talk about the many girls who have experienced things just like me, and if I can use my voice to better the life of other girls then I will use my voice for that.” 

Lara lives in Mumbai, India.

*Lara is a chosen pseudonym to maintain her privacy online.

Speaker Overview

Travels from: Mumbai, or available virtually

Language: Hindi, Marathi

Expertise: Human trafficking; women and children’s rights; survivor voice; advocate for survivor’s rights, dignity, and perspectives

Raja is a practicing Advocate at the Honorable Madras High Court and other courts across the state of Tamil Nadu. Raja is a survivor of bonded labor, and he regularly shares about his own story of restoration with other survivors in a local survivor mentorship group.

Raja says it is his greatest joy to extend helping hands to rescue people who are oppressed and see them enjoy the freedom in their life, while seeking justice for them as a staff lawyer at International Justice Mission.

In addition to advocating against bonded labor through criminal court proceedings, he leads trainings for NGOs, police officers and court authorities in India. He has also traveled internationally to speak about bonded labor in India. His greatest enjoyment comes when spending time with his family and playing with his children.

Raja is a founding member of the Leadership Council for the Global Survivor Network, an international group of survivor leaders who desire and pursue safe communities through justice systems that protect the most vulnerable. He says, “I feel so fortunate to be a leader on the Leadership Council of the Global Survivor Network. Since I have experienced and walked through similar paths as a survivor, I feel I will be able to understand and contribute better, serving in this role. I am excited and it is my privilege to be part of the Leadership Council of the Global Survivor Network and I believe we can create good leaders among the community and encourage each other to serve effectively and be successful in life.”

Raja lives in Chennai, India.

Speaker Overview

Travels from: Chennai, India, or available virtually

Languages: Tamil, English

Expertise: Bonded labor; human trafficking; lawyer; human rights; children’s rights; women’s rights; victim rights; poverty; rule of law

Experience: Raja has spoken at conferences and meetings in India (multiple states: Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Delhi), the United States and the United Kingdom, a keynote speaker, a panelist, and as a workshop trainer.

Pachaiyammal is a cluster coordinator for the State Rural Livelihood Mission, a pilot project to increase access to government programs for survivors of bonded labour. Pachaiyammal was enslaved in a rock quarry in South India for twelve years, and she is passionate about ending modern slavery across her state and nation.

Pachaiyammal is the General Secretary for the Released Bonded Labourers Association (RBLA) state chapter, a network of more than 2,000 women and men who are using their freedom to advocate for others still enslaved. Over the last two years, she has led eight rescue operations as an RBLA leader, bringing freedom to over 100 people. Each operation begins with Pachaiyammal sharing her own story to people who are likewise trapped in modern slavery, then presenting documentation and mobilizing government officials to intervene. She has helped enroll children into school, advocated for various identification cards that entitle the holder to a range of government benefits, and petitioned local officials for a new road and toilet in her village, as well as new houses for herself and several other families.

Pachaiyammal is a founding member of the Leadership Council for the Global Survivor Network, an international group of survivor leaders who desire and pursue safe communities through justice systems that protect the most vulnerable. She says, “I am passionate to work for my community and love to represent bonded labour survivors at this global space. I will be able to bring to the table the ground realities that my people face in their freedom journey, and I am also looking forward to learn more from the others.”

Pachaiyammal lives in Kancheepuram, India.

Speaker Overview

Travels from: Chennai, India, or available virtually

Language: Tamil

Expertise: Bonded labor; women and children’s rights; human rights; poverty; survivor voice; advocate for survivor’s rights, dignity, and perspectives

Experience: Pachaiyammal has shared her story and raised awareness of bonded labour through multiple media interviews, and she has spoken at conferences and meetings in India and in the United States, as a keynote speaker and panelist.

Charito works as a Medical Social Worker in a Cebu hospital. Charito is a survivor of trafficking, and she shares her story of strength with other survivors and to groups or school programs that support ending violence. She is part of the S.M.A.R.T. group in the Visayas Region, which is part of the Global Survivor Network. On her day off, Charito loves spending time with her family and volunteering in the shelter where she once lived.

Charito is a founding member of the Leadership Council for the Global Survivor Network, an international group of survivor leaders who desire and pursue safe communities through justice systems that protect the most vulnerable. She says, “I believe that sharing our experiences and getting involved in advocacy is one way to end forms of violence. I wanted to do more: to speak out louder, to help build stronger support systems and be able to work personally with other survivors. There’s this one thing I really cared about—to be able to help other survivors be heard globally. I do believe that our voices will have an impact in helping other survivors in different parts of the globe because of our personal experiences.”

Charito lives in Cebu, Philippines.

*Charito is a chosen pseudonym to maintain her privacy online.

Speaker Overview

Travels from: Cebu, Philippines, or available virtually

Language: Cebuano, English, Tagalog

Expertise: Human trafficking; women and children’s rights; survivor voice; advocate for survivor’s rights, dignity and perspectives

Experience: Charito has shared about her own experience and raised awareness of human trafficking at prayer gatherings

Vanessa works as an Account Executive in an Information Technology company based in Washington D.C. She grew up, studied, and was licensed as a Social Worker in the Philippines.

Vanessa enjoys learning multimedia arts, creating videos, and writing songs or poetry. In her free time, she loves to travel and explore the food from different countries. She is a survivor of sexual abuse and was serving as one of the survivor leaders in the advocacy group, “Standing Together to Advocate Rights”, in Manila.

Vanessa is a founding member of the Leadership Council for the Global Survivor Network, an international group of survivor leaders who desire and pursue safe communities through justice systems that protect the most vulnerable. She says, “Survivors’ voices need to be an integral part of developing programs and policies. As a part of the Leadership Council of the Global Survivor Network, I hope to continue to serve my fellow survivors and empower them to share their own expertise and talents to impact and unite leaders worldwide to end modern slavery.”

Vanessa lives in the United States.

Speaker Overview

Travels from: Washington, DC, or available virtually

Language: English, Tagalog

Expertise: Violence against women and children; women and children’s rights; women’s empowerment; human rights; aftercare; resilience; survivor voice; advocate for survivor rights, dignity and perspectives; community development; community organization; social development

Experience: Vanessa served as an Aftercare Fellow with International Justice Mission, and she has experience consulting on survivor-centered tools and resources.

Victoria is a women’s rights advocate based in Uganda. She is a survivor of Lord’s Resistance Army abductions and has shared her story and amplified the stories of other survivors from local, national, and international platforms.

Victoria holds a Masters in Global Affairs with a concentration in International Peace Studies from the University of Notre Dame; a Post Graduate Diploma from Uganda Management Institute; and a bachelor’s degree from Kyambogo University.

Victoria coordinated the efforts of more than 500 war-affected women to provide input into the Ugandan government’s post-conflict policy and program. Her work resulted in the Parliament of Uganda unanimously passing a resolution to address the plight of women survivors of northern Uganda’s conflicts, and the adoption of a National Transitional Justice Policy that considers the unique gender justice needs of war-affected women and their children born out of sexual violence.

Victoria is the founder of Women in Action for Women, a Ugandan organization that improves the lives of women and youth through vocational skills training, business skills enhancement, and supports community governance structures. She currently works as a Global Partnerships Consultant at International Justice Mission.

Victoria is the 2019 recipient of Amnesty International’s Ginetta Sagan Award for Women’s and Children’s Rights, which recognizes the outstanding achievement of women doing effective work, often at great personal risk, to protect the dignity, liberties and lives of women and children in crisis regions where abuse of human rights is widespread.

Victoria is a founding member of the Leadership Council for the Global Survivor Network, an international group of survivor leaders who desire and pursue safe communities through justice systems that protect the most vulnerable. She shares this about her desire to see the Global Survivor Network grow: “Survivors across the globe will have the opportunity to share their experiences and learn from each other. This will give a strong voice for advocacy towards policy reforms, designing of strategies that address the challenges that survivors go through, and the need to put an end to this. This approach is sustainable since we will be able to meet and push for one agenda instead of having divided attention. At the end of the day survivors will gain visibility and the perpetrators will find it hard to continue their criminal acts since the silence will be no more.”

Victoria lives in Uganda.

Victoria enjoys going to the gym, interacting with family members, meeting women groups, telling stories and spending time with friends.

Speaker Overview

Travels from: Uganda, or available virtually

Language: English, Luo, Runyoro

Expertise: Violence against women and children; intimate partner violence; women and children’s rights; women’s empowerment; human rights; poverty; biblical justice; trauma; resilience; survivor voice; advocate for survivor rights, dignity and perspectives; peacebuilding

Experience: Victoria has delivered keynote and breakout speeches at conferences in Jordan, Spain, Switzerland, Uganda, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and she has been interviewed by multiple media outlets.