BC Tan is Managing Director and Co-Head of Southeast Asia in the Investigations, Diligence and Compliance practice, based in Singapore. BC has over 18 years of experience in global risk and investigations. He specializes in the transformative use of technology and data science to address anti‐money laundering, counter financing of terrorism, trade‐based money laundering (TBML) compliance, transnational organized crime and global sanctions risks. He has worked with NGO and government partners on the understanding the forced criminality issue and to develop response strategies.

Mechelle Moore is a specialist in anti-human trafficking and transnational organised crime, with a particular focus on forced criminality, online scams, and cyber slavery across the Asia Pacific region. As the Chief Executive Officer – Asia of Global Alms Incorporated and founder of the survivor-led program Yes She Matters, Mechelle brings over 15 years of experience in child protection, trauma-informed care, and survivor advocacy. She has delivered high-level consultation and training for law enforcement, military personnel, NGOs, and international delegations on combating trafficking networks and illicit economies.

Kalmaj Raj is the founder and director of Cross Global Asia Foundation. He has spoken about how to fight against human trafficking at TEDx speaker, and is a Human Trafficking and Bonded Labour Researcher.

Ling Li is a co-founder of EOS Collective, a non-profit organisation dedicated to investigating the scam industry and advocating for the rights and recovery of its victims. Over the past several years, she has supported survivors of scam compounds across the region, collaborating with both local and international civil society organisations to provide relief and assist with repatriation efforts. She is the co-author of Scam: Inside Southeast Asia’s Cybercrime Compounds (Verso, 2025). With past experience in law enforcement, she is currently pursuing a PhD at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, with research focused on how technology facilitates modern slavery across East and Southeast Asia.

Salam is an engineering graduate from Bangladesh who was deceived into a trafficking situation in scamming compounds. After securing his freedom, he began his journey as a survivor leader, supporting the rescue and safe repatriation of more than 50 survivors during his three years at Humanity Research Consultancy (HRC), where he served as the Survivor Empowerment and Communication Officer.

He is currently working at the Asia Freedom Network as the Country Director for Bangladesh, and he also works as an independent lived-experience consultant with various organizations. He is a member of the Leadership Council of the Global Survivor Network (GSN), which works globally in partnership with International Justice Mission (IJM). He is also a co-founder of two survivor-led groups dedicated to combating human trafficking.

Dr. K. Krishnan is a highly respected social scientist with over 35 years of impactful leadership in rural development, indigenous rights, labour rights protection, human rights advocacy, livelihood enhancement, environmental governance, and legal education. A nationally recognised expert on bonded labour eradication, he has facilitated the rescue and rehabilitation of more than 19,000 bonded labourers across six states, ensuring sustainable reintegration for over 80% of survivors. His grassroots engagement has been instrumental in preventing child labour and enabling 60,000 tribal children to access quality education.

Emily is a US National Certified and HKPCA Certified Counsellor dedicated to helping people create safe spaces to heal and grow. She began her career in Washington, DC, working with an NGO fighting human trafficking—an experience that deepened her commitment to vulnerable communities. Trained in IFS, EMDR, polyvagal, and narrative exposure therapies, she supports clients with complex trauma. After earning her master’s in Texas, she moved to Hong Kong, where she co-directed a counseling center for five years. She now works at the Hong Kong Dignity Institute (HKDI) with refugees, trafficking survivors, and others facing exploitation or discrimination. The mission of HKDI is to restore dignity to the most vulnerable in Hong Kong through integrated legal and mental health support.

Shiva Hari Gyawali is a renowned Dalit Rights activist, researcher, development worker, strategic thinker, and value-driven youth leader in Nepal. With over 10 years in non-profits, he excels in research on caste, religion, and their dynamic impacts on Nepali society, particularly how these factors exacerbate human trafficking vulnerabilities. As a senior project manager for 4+ years, he has coordinated initiatives in human rights, governance, livelihoods, and advocacy across Nepal and South Asia, with a special emphasis on combating human trafficking in the adult entertainment sector. His expertise centers on vulnerable groups like Dalits, women, LGBTIQA+, and freed Haliya, emphasizing Human Rights-Based Approaches.

Dr. Suthira Kanatham is a lecturer in Sociology and Anthropology at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Rai Rajabhat University. She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology and Anthropology from Chiang Mai University, with specialized expertise in Criminology, Cultural Studies, and Development Sociology. With over two decades of experience in academic and research administration, she has led numerous projects addressing social vulnerabilities in Northern Thailand. Her current research focuses on the intersection of human rights and social protection, specifically analyzing human trafficking, violence, and exploitation through the lens of survivors' life histories. Based in the border region of Chiang Rai, she is committed to transforming empirical evidence from case records into actionable policy recommendations to enhance the safety and dignity of women and children.

Sunita Kar is a survivor-led advocate and community practitioner who has been actively engaged in trafficking prevention and the protection of survivors’ rights since 2016. She is a founding member of Bijoyini Survivors Organization and the Integrated Leaders Forum Against Trafficking (ILFAT), and currently serves as the General Secretary of ILFAT. Since 2018, she has been working closely with government systems on Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR), advocating for the integration of community-led rehabilitation approaches within existing government schemes and programs. Her work includes providing mental health support, peer support, legal assistance, support in accessing compensation, and facilitating the progress of trafficking and violence-related cases. Since 2023, she has been focusing specifically on trafficking prevention and the protection of rights of gender-variant individuals. Responding to this gap, her work emphasizes building resilient and inclusive communities that can ensure safety, dignity, and rights-based support for gender-variant individuals.

Lai Thanh Hang is a versatile program manager with 17 years of experience leading development projects in a broad spectrum of settings throughout Vietnam. Her expertise lies in: Public health prevention, Safe migration and human trafficking survivor protection, Community development and capacity-building, Programmatic strategy and management & Rights-based advocacy with high-level government partners. She is currently Manager of the survivor care and reintegration program at Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation, providing crucial care including counselling, safe housing, education, family support, skills building, livelihoods and entrepreneurship, helping survivors recover from trauma and thrive in their lives.

Chuyen Nguyen has worked with Blue Dragon for six years and brings more than 16 years of experience in community development and the non-profit sector. As a member of an ethnic minority community, she has a strong understanding of local customs, traditions, and community dynamics, and extensive experience working directly with ethnic minority communities. She has also collaborated closely with government partners and has solid expertise in policy advocacy, supporting the adoption and integration of effective project models into local government systems and practices.

Chu Duc Hoang is a program manager at Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation. With more than a decade of hands-on experience supporting victims of human trafficking and child labour in Vietnam, he has worked closely with the Government of Vietnam to establish Anti-Human Trafficking Boards (ATBs), a pioneering initiative contributing to nationwide efforts to combat trafficking. Guided by a strong commitment to social justice, Hoang combines academic knowledge with frontline experience to provide practical insights and actionable recommendations for strengthening victim protection and sustainable reintegration in the evolving context of human trafficking. He holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work.

Thao Do is a doctoral researcher at the University of Bath’s Centre for Doctoral Training in Accountable, Responsible and Transparent AI (ART-AI). Her research focuses on the governance, societal impacts, and human rights implications of AI in high-stakes and socially sensitive domains. Her forthcoming book chapter, Governing Artificial Intelligence in Anti-Trafficking through a Human Rights–Based Approach, offers a critical analysis of AI-driven interventions within broader debates on justice-oriented and rights-based governance. She has over 15 years of experience working across research, practice, and policy in areas related to migration, trafficking, digital governance, and social protection. She regularly collaborates with NGOs, international organisations, and regulatory bodies, including the Council of Europe, IOM, and Ofcom UK.

Marta Furlan is the Senior Program Manager for Research at Free the Slaves. Her areas of expertise include human rights protection, civil conflicts, children's rights, climate change and conflicts. Marta holds a Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of St Andrews. She is the author of a book published by Columbia University Press and her publications have appeared in several peer-reviewed journals.

Dr Jagannath Pati, now a child protection advisor and a visiting faculty member, recently retired as Director (Programme) from the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), Ministry of Women & Child Development, after more than 25 years of transformative service in shaping India’s child protection and welfare systems. He has also served as Registrar of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR). During his tenure, he played a pivotal role in introducing digital governance mechanisms to enhance transparency in complaint management, foster care, and adoption processes, with a particular focus on expediting rehabilitation for older children and children with special needs. A Fulbright alumnus and educator, Dr Pati brings deep practitioner insight to policy and systems reform. He views the ARAT 2026 as an opportunity to further contribute to global policy discourse on holistic, rights-based rehabilitation of children without parental care. 

Jacob is an Australian with Ghanaian heritage and the CEO of Global Counter-Trafficking Group (GCG), an Australian based NGO working to create resilient counter trafficking systems to protect people from exploitation in Asia and beyond. GCG is a co-coordinator of the Scientia Program in Thailand, alongside other initiatives around the world, focussed on developing and enhancing collaboration and capability in local counter trafficking partnership networks. He is also the Chair of the newly formed Australian International Counter Slavery Alliance (AICSA). He has two decades worth of experience working in leadership and strategic roles for global international development and counter-slavery organisations, developing partnerships with some of Australia’s largest companies to tackle the complex and every adapting issues of human trafficking, forced labour and the online sexual exploitation of children.

Helen Avadiar-Nimbalker is a mental health and anti-trafficking specialist with over two decades of experience in trauma recovery, leadership and humanitarian response across Southeast Asia. She holds a MSc in Global Mental Health and is a Certified Clinical Trauma Specialist (CCTS-I) with additional certifications in Traumatic Stress Studies, Disaster Response Psychology, Neurobiology for Mental Health Professionals and Child & Adolescent Trauma Treatment. Helen maintains a specialised focus on trauma arising from torture, abuse and exploitation, particularly among children and displaced populations. She currently serves as Director for the Asia Freedom Network, leading anti-trafficking collaborations across 15 countries and is the Founder & CEO of Rise Foundation Asia and The Whispering Willow; organisations committed to combating exploitation through trauma-informed care, strategic interventions and survivor-centred programmes.
Alongside her field work, Helen is completing postgraduate studies in Applied Forensic Psychology and has undertaken executive training in Public Leadership Strategy through Harvard University.

Dalaina grew up overseas and has lived in 5 countries on 3 continents. When she moved to Indonesia, she finally found her home.  After supporting the local staff of a safehouse for trafficked teen girls in Bali, she realized that there was a need for an organization providing similar support for the entire Indonesian anti-trafficking community, and Dark Bali was born in 2015. Dark Bali has grown from a local task force of 4 organizations to a national coalition of over 80 organizations. In addition to building this coalition, Dark Bali provides capacity building and training, community resourcing, and facilitating multi-stakeholder projects that support the mission “to strengthen and equip those on the frontlines of anti-trafficking in Indonesia.” Currently, Dark Bali holds the secretariat position for the Global Learning Community which hosts the annual Asia Region Anti-Trafficking Conference, and Dalaina serves as the conference coordinator.

Patchanittha is based in Bangkok. She is the country manager for The Scientia Program and has led the evolution of The Scientia Program into a vital force against Anti-Human Trafficking (AHT) and Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE). She was directly responsible for creating formal relationships with government and non-government personnel in the Anti-Trafficking sector, including signing MOUs with the Royal Thai Police, and 6 partner NGOs. She has significant experience in the resolution of individual and mass victim cases, primarily in Online Child Sexual Exploitation (OCSE), leading to the protection of lives and justice against perpetrators. Patchanittha championed the development of a trauma-informed care policy for staff, ensuring ethical and effective support for OSEC victims.

A lecturer at Faculty of Law, Thammasat University, and the Director of the LLM in International Business Law programme. Phil received PhD in International Law (summa cum laude) from the Geneva Graduate Institute. He teaches public international law, human rights law, and international economic law. He has prepared a bill on mandatory human rights due diligence for the Ministry of Justice of Thailand, and am currently assisting the Ministry with the regional consultations on the bill.