Our Advocates

Júlia Mota (she/her) is a 25-year-old black Brazilian woman. She holds a degree in Public Policy Management from the University of São Paulo and works as Advocacy Specialist at Fundo Agbara, the first fund focused on the economic justice of Black women in Brazil.

Onesmo Olengurumwa is a distinguished human rights lawyer, renowned for his significant contributions to the field. As a founding member of the East Africa Human Rights Institute (EAHRI) and Managing Partner at Afritanza Attorney, he applies his extensive legal expertise and unwavering dedication to advance justice, human rights education and uphold human rights. Widely recognized as one of Tanzania's foremost human rights expert and ardent defender of rights, he has served in key leadership roles including as the Founding National Coordinator (CEO) of the Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC). 

Ronald Roger Rohrohmana (he/him) is a development professional with over a decade of experience in program management, policy advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and rights-based campaigns on transnational organized crime, environmental justice, human rights, and sustainable development.

Christopher Rutledge (he/him) is the Executive Director of the MACUA WAMUA Advice Office, an institution that provides legal, advocacy, and research support to mining-affected communities across South Africa. Since the earliest days of Mining Affected Communities United in Action (MACUA), Christopher has worked in collaboration with a leadership collective to build the movement into the most organized rural social justice formation of communities in South Africa. Together, they have transformed MACUA from its humble beginnings into a formidable national movement that has impacted legislation and policy affecting mining-affected people.

Maiya Shang (she/her) is a Tangkhul Naga Indigenous Woman from North-East India. Currently, she is the Regional Program Technician for the Asia-Pacific region with International Indigenous Women's Forum (FIMI). In this role, she works closely with Indigenous Women’s organizations at the local, national, and regional levels across Asia and the Pacific region, providing support in grant-making, project management and capacity building. Maiya is also involved in the organization of various linking and learning workshops, community of practice and trainings for FIMI’s partners in the region. She has represented FIMI in donors’ meetings and conventions of global alliance of feminist organizations, where she advocated about the issues of Indigenous Women. The thing she likes most about her work is the interaction with Indigenous Women at the community level and learning about their aspirations, issues, and stories of self-empowerment that generates long-term impact on the ground. 

Nyawira Wahito is a Kenyan feminist dedicated to nurturing the leadership, voice, and personal transformation of girls and young women, particularly in rural communities. With nearly 13 years of experience in feminist organizing, she has worked extensively with grassroots movements, centering the lived realities, dreams, and power of girls in both programming and advocacy.

Tatsiana Ziniakova is a legal analyst with Human Constanta – a Belarusian human rights organization, now liquidated by the decision of Belarusian authorities and working in exile. Tatsiana holds an LL.B. and LL.M. degrees in public international law and human rights law from Belarusian State University and Wake Forest University, respectively. As a Fulbright scholar and grantee of the Edmund S. Muskie Professional Fellowship Program, she was a research fellow with the World Justice Project, focusing on legal responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and the global erosion of the rule of law.

Adija Adamu (she/her) is a Mbororo Fulani Indigenous Woman from Cameroon. She is working  with the International Indigenous Women’s Forum (more commonly known by the acronym FIMI) under the Ayni Fund program as the grants coordinator for Africa. She has also worked as a project consultant with the African Indigenous Women's  Organization (AIWO) in French West Africa and as a program coordinator for AIWO in Southern Africa. She conducts multidisciplinary research on the issues of Indigenous Peoples in Africa and is involved in academic discourse about Indigenous Peoples issues as well as conferences and workshops advocating for rights of Indigenous Women at leading international NGOs, the African Union and the United Nations.

She has an honors degree in International Politics from the University of South Africa (UNISA) where she is currently pursuing a master’s degree in international politics with a specialization in Diplomacy. She has participated in many capacity building  trainings including a certificate program in Indigenous Peoples' Rights at the University of Pretoria, a certificate in Human Rights Mechanisms from the Indigenous  Women's Global Leadership School, and a certificate in Public Authority and  Humanitarianism from the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa at London School of Economics and Political Science.

Adija speaks English, French and Fulani. She enjoys participating in community activities and reading about political and social issues. She cares about education, the environment, political awareness, and women's economic empowerment.

Adija is a participant in the 2024-25 Human Rights Advocates Program at the Institute for the Study of Human Rights at Columbia University.

Kathia Carrillo (she/her) is an Afro-Indigenous communications professional and a decolonial and anti-racist feminist activist. She has worked for many years with Indigenous organizations and autonomous governments in the Peruvian Amazon, designing advocacy campaigns on territories, self-determination and the defense of collective rights for climate, economic and social justice.

Since 2015, Thehoya Dy (he/him) has been promoting and protecting the rights of migrant workers as the Head of Anti-Human Trafficking and Migration at the Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights (CENTRAL) in Cambodia.

At CENTRAL, Hoya leads the organization’s efforts in coordinating the rescue, repatriation and integration of victims of exploitation and trafficking from foreign territories. He and his colleagues provide legal consultation and safe-migration guidance to migrant workers and stakeholders. They promote awareness about the dangers of high-risk migration in collaboration with NGO partners and the local authorities, especially through forums aimed at educating rural communities. They empower and organize Cambodian migrant workers abroad, especially in Thailand and Malaysia, through the formation of worker networks to protect their rights and through fostering ownership through training sessions. Hoya serves as the organization’s primary media contact for migrant worker issues, and participates in key organizational decision-making, strategy initiation and development. He has contributed to the formulation of national policies and mechanisms aimed at safeguarding migrant workers' rights.

Bojana Jokić (she/her) has been the President of the Board of Directors of LGBT Forum Progress since 2016. The mission of LGBT Forum Progress is to create a safe, inclusive, and stimulating environment in Montenegro for all LGBTQI+ people through community development, social and health protection, political and economic participation, representation and advocacy.  Bojana has been a member of the National Team for Coordinating the Implementation of the Strategy for Improving the Quality of Life of LGBTI Persons in Montenegro, the Trust Team of the LGBT Community and the Police Directorate, the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights' Commission for Allocating Funds for Financing NGO Projects/Programs in the area of "protection and improvement of human rights of LGBTI persons," and the team for monitoring hate speech on the internet.

She was also a member of the Working Group for Drafting the Law on Same-Sex Partnerships and the Working Group for Developing the Strategy for Improving the Quality of Life of LGBTI Persons in Montenegro. She was a member of the Radio and Television Council of Montenegro. She has published extensively on the rights of LGBTI persons. Bojana holds a Bachelor's and Specialist degree in Tourism and Hospitality from Mediterranean University. Additionally, she has completed various education programs in feminism, as well as in safeguarding the rights of children and other vulnerable groups in society.

Bojana is a participant in the 2024-25 Human Rights Advocates Program at the Institute for the Study of Human Rights at Columbia University.

Connex Khomba (he/him) is a transgender man and a dedicated human rights researcher and activist from Malawi. Connex serves as the Advocacy and Grants Officer at the Ivy Foundation, an organization committed to advancing gender equality and advocating for the rights of LBQ women, intersex and transgender individuals. Connex led the development of the shadow report submitted by the Ivy Foundation for the 8th periodic review of Malawi by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), which was presented to CEDAW during its 86th session in Geneva in 2023. Connex has also been instrumental in advocating for policy changes to recognize intersex and transgender individuals in order to introduce a third gender marker in Malawi.

As a volunteer human rights researcher at ReportOut, Connex has been contributing to global LGBTQI+ research. Connex was recently recruited as a data interpreter for a key populations bio-behavioral study and size estimation in Malawi. He is driven by principles of inclusivity, boldness and accountability, which guide his efforts to champion diversity and human rights in his community. He studied Journalism at the University of Malawi.

Connex is a participant in the 2024-25 Human Rights Advocates Program at the Institute for the Study of Human Rights at Columbia University.

Erick Luwongo (he/him) is a distinguished lawyer serving as the Human Rights and Legal Empowerment Officer at HakiMadini. With over a decade of experience, he has dedicated his career to advocating for the rights of miners and mining-affected communities in Tanzania. His work encompasses legal analysis, human rights activism, and policy advocacy within the extractive sector. Luwongo is renowned for his efforts in educating mining communities about their rights and empowering them to claim and defend these rights. He has played a pivotal role in influencing global and regional mining policies through strategic partnerships and coalition building. Luwongo's advocacy has successfully brought attention to human rights abuses in the mining sector, including arbitrary arrests and physical harm. He is also committed to capacity building, conducting training sessions for paralegals and human rights monitors.

Collaborating with his co-workers, Luwongo empowers women miners through leadership and rights-based training. As the Northern Zone Coordinator for the Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition, he addresses human rights violations with meticulous documentation and reporting. His contributions extend to international advocacy, including submissions to the Human Rights Council for Universal Periodic Reviews of Tanzania. Luwongo's expertise in Tanzania's Mining Laws ensures that legal frameworks align with the needs of small-scale miners and affected communities, solidifying his role as a key advocate for human rights and environmental justice.

Erick is a participant in the 2024-25 Human Rights Advocates Program at the Institute for the Study of Human Rights at Columbia University.

Kutlwano Magashula (they/them) is a human rights activist and lawyer with a commitment to advancing freedom, recognition, and dignity for all through strategic advocacy and policy reform. Kutlwano champions issues of gender, social class, sexuality, race, and ability within the broader agenda of societal change. They hold a Masters in Law in Sexual and Reproductive Rights in Africa and have published extensively on LGBTI inclusion. Beginning as Prosecutions Counsel in the Directorate of Public Prosecutions of Botswana, Kutlwano transitioned to roles of significant impact in the human rights sector. This includes being the Regional Programmes Coordinator at the Coalition of African Lesbians (CAL) where they collaborated with activist groups across sub-Saharan Africa to spearhead advocacy campaigns addressing personal, institutional, and ideological change. Later they worked as a Sexual Rights Legal Researcher with the Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa supporting strategic impact litigation to amplify the voices of women and other marginalized people in legal and policy frameworks.

Currently, Kutlwano serves as the Executive Officer for Programmes at The Other Foundation, overseeing grant management and advocating for the rights of LGBTI people in Southern Africa.

Kutlwano is instrumental in monitoring LGBTI policy advocacy efforts across national and regional levels, ensuring that the Foundation's programs remain effective and responsive to evolving challenges.

Kutlwano is a participant in the 2024-25 Human Rights Advocates Program at the Institute for the Study of Human Rights at Columbia University.

Gustavo Miranda Coutinho (he/him) is a Brazilian lawyer, researcher and human rights activist focused on LGBTI+ rights, racial equality and the protection of human rights defenders. 

He began his career at the LGBTI+ Human Rights Center of Bahia, where he worked on severe human rights violations. He then worked as a lawyer for the Federal Program for the Protection of Threatened Victims and Witnesses where he began to articulate protection policies in Brazil. He has been a member of several coalitions, including the Brazilian Committee of Human Rights Defenders. He is currently a consultant to the Brazilian Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship.

He was vice president and president of the Brazilian Association of Gays, Lesbians, Transvestites, Transsexuals and Intersexuals (ABGLT), where he coordinated a network of 350 civil society organizations and advanced ABGLT’s strategic litigation and advocacy. He is currently the operations coordinator of the International Lesbian, Gay, Transgender and Intersex Association - Latin America and the Caribbean (ILGALAC) where he is developing the organization's programmatic areas and advocacy in the Inter-American human rights system.

He holds a master’s degree in Constitutional Law which he earned on the Diogo Sant'Anna Scholarship for Black Students at the Brazilian Institute of Education and Research.

He was recognized for writing the best dissertation in 2023, “Anti-gender human rights: The revision of the rationality of human rights by the Bolsonaro government in LGBTI+ policies (2019-2022).”

Gustavo is a participant in the 2024-25 Human Rights Advocates Program at the Institute for the Study of Human Rights at Columbia University.