Coumba Ndokh Ndiaye holds a master’s degree in governance and public management from the Senghor University in Alexandria, Egypt, as well as a master’s degree in English literature from Gaston Berger University in Senegal. Her scholarship focused on the mechanisms that combat economic and financial crime in Senegal. Since 2015, Coumba has served as a clerk for the Court of Appeals while working as a tutor and activity leader for the Senegalese Virtual University. Previously, she spent two years as a court clerk in the investigation office in the Regional Court of Thiès. During her Humphrey Fellowship year, Coumba would like to gain resources that will help her achieve her goal of ending trafficking and child exploitation in her community.
Darlene Pajarito is the Assistant City Prosecutor for the Philippine Department of Justice. She served as part of the Philippine Delegation to the Expert Working Group during the drafting of the ASEAN Convention on Trafficking In Persons (ACTIP), the ASEAN Plan of Action on Women and Children (APA) and the Bohol Trafficking In Persons (TIP) Work Plan. She is currently the Philippine National TIP Specialist and is considered one of the staunchest anti-trafficking advocates in the country. She helped secure the Philippine’s first sex trafficking conviction in 2005 and the second labor trafficking conviction in 2011. As a prosecutor for the last 14 years, she has successfully secured six human trafficking convictions. From July of 2015 to February of 2018, Pajarito served as the Executive Director of the Inter-Agency Council against Trafficking (IACAT) Secretariat and has aided in the development and implementation of several policies and programs on partnership, protection of victims, investigation, prosecution, and adjudication of TIP cases. She was recognized as a “hero acting to end modern day slavery” by former US Secretary of State Hilary R. Clinton. As a Humphrey Fellow, Pajarito is looking forward to learning from development programs that tackle trafficking in persons within the context of US jurisprudence.
Dev Datta Joshi is a senior disability rights lawyer focusing on inclusive education, legal capacity, access to justice, and de-institutionalization of persons with disabilities in Nepal. Joshi was awarded the Open Society Foundations Fellowship at the Institute for Research and Development on Inclusion and Society at York University in Toronto in 2015. He has obtained five post-secondary degrees, including an LL.M. from the Centre for Disability Law and Policy at the National University of Ireland. In his tenure, Joshi has worked to establish the first audio library in Nepal for visually impaired students while combatting the use of discriminatory terms in Nepalese legislation, taking cases to the Nepalese Supreme Court and helping make landmark jurisprudence regarding disability rights. During his Humphrey Fellowship, Joshi is interested in studying the Americans with Disabilities Act, legal representation of people with disabilities, and the relationship between disability rights and international human rights.
Guot Gabriel Guot is an attorney and civil society activist advocating for peace, justice in human rights, and accountable governance within South Sudan. He has worked as a civil servant in several government institutions, including the Ministry of Labor and Public Service, the South Sudan Pension Fund, and the South Sudan Human Rights Commission. Guot is the founder of the organization Greater Upper Nile Concerns Youth for Peace and Stability (GUNCY-PAS) and Gabriel Law Firm LLP. He holds an LLB from the University of Juba College of Law and has been featured in a number of television programs and newspapers for his advocacy against violations of human rights. As a Humphrey Fellow, Guot plans to develop new human rights awareness initiatives in order to encourage adherence to the rule of law in South Sudan.
Hilal Beycan is an EU Affairs Expert within the Turkish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, where she specializes in justice, freedom, and security in the EU-Turkey negotiation process and is responsible for the design and implementation of anti-trafficking policies and projects. She works as a technical expert in the fields of migration, human trafficking, and organized crime. Beycan holds a master’s degree in European studies from Middle East Technical University and a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Ankara University. She hopes that the knowledge and skills gained as a Humphrey Fellow will strengthen her ability to lead and advocate for policies, programs, and projects to advance Turkey’s efforts in combatting human trafficking.
Imran Shahid is the deputy director of the Federal Investigation Agency of Pakistan, where he focuses on human trafficking and white collar crime. Over the last 15 years, Shahid has served the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan and supervised the welfare and skill development of nearly 8,000 staff while providing tactical guidance. During his Humphrey Fellowship year, he is eager to learn about the latest development in human trafficking policy and prevention from an international context.
Lubna Nasser is a dedicated advocate for human rights and anti-torture legislation in Jordan. Nasser currently serves as the county director for DIGNITY- Danish Institute against Torture. She works with a national anti-torture program in Jordan called Karama, a consortium of civil society organizations, as well as the National Center for Human Rights and relevant governmental institutions to monitor, address, and reduce incidents of torture and human rights violations in the Jordanian Judicial System. Nasser also leads a Lebanese program on reducing pretrial detention in partnership with Lebanese ministries and civil society organizations. During her tenure as a Humphrey Fellow, Nasser will continue to focus on the victims and survivors of torture as she builds skills in public policy formation and decision-making.
Nino Elbakidze has worked as a lawyer for the Georgian Human Rights Organization, Article 42 of the Constitution, since 2002. Over the past 16 years, she has been a project coordinator, human rights trainer, and executive director. From 2014-2017, Elbakidze also served as chairman of the board for Human Rights House Tblisi, where she fought to support human rights’ defenders. She is a member of the Georgian Bar Association and the National Preventative Mechanism in the Public Defender’s Office of Georgia. In January 2017, Elbakidze established the Human Rights Advocacy and Democracy Fund, where she is the executive director and senior researcher. She has written multiple publications on human rights and is currently interested in conflicts within occupied territories of Georgia. Defending human rights in Georgia will remain a priority through Elbakidze's Humphrey Fellowship year as she builds new platforms for equality and democratic values.
Predrag Raosavljevic is the assistant ombudsmen and the head of the anti-discrimination department for the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is an international lawyer with over 12 years of experience, working in the field of human rights protection, international relations, transitional justice, and establishment of rule of law in post-conflict societies. Raosavljevic is a member of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), and holds a teaching position at Banja Luka PIM University. He has previously served on behalf of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the United Nations Office of the High Representative, in the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva, and for the UN Secretariat in New York. Raosavljevic received his PhD from the University of Belgrade and his LL.M. from Columbia University in New York. Over the course of his Humphrey Fellowship, Raosavljevic expects to learn how conceptions of equality, differing legal cultures, and varying government engagement can lead to more effective ways to combat the unequal treatment of citizens.
Sivabalan Suppiah is a dedicated engineer and law enforcement professional with over 16 years of experience in both private and public service capacities, currently serving as an officer with the Royal Malaysia Police. His hope is to upgrade current law enforcement strategies in Malaysia to increase the successful conviction rates for trafficking cases. Suppiah’s work has documented success in directing and leading law enforcement objectives through crime prevention. His goal as a Humphrey Fellow is to engage new practices involving law enforcement-trafficking victim relationships while developing mechanisms for equitable governance.
Winfred Kyobiika Naigaga is a district court judge with the Ugandan Judiciary and the Treasurer of the Uganda Judicial Officers Association, an umbrella professional body that brings together justices, judges, registrars, and magistrates. In addition to her judicial work, Naigaga writes and presents papers about the rights of women and children as well as the criminal justice system. She previously worked as a junior law associate and as a public defender. Naigaga is a member of the Ugandan Bar, the National Association of Women Judges, and the Ugandan Association for Women Lawyers (FIDA-Uganda). She holds an LL.B. from Makerere University in Uganda, as well as an M.A. in Human Rights, Globalization, and Justice from Keele University in the UK. To improve her managerial skills, Naigaga earned a PGD in public administration and management from Uganda Management Institute-Kampala. During her Humphrey Fellowship, Naigaga plans to focus on judicial strategies in curbing gender based violence.