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New Dutch National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings

Conny Rijken

The new Dutch National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings and Sexual Violence against Children, Prof. dr. mr. Conny Rijken, will take office as of 1 September 2022. She is the successor of mr. Herman Bolhaar, who retired on 23 May 2022.

Conny Rijken is currently professor of Human Trafficking and Globalization at Tilburg University. She is also a member of the Council of Europe Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA).

Over the past 20 years, Conny Rijken has conducted research into the various aspects of human trafficking, including labour exploitation, the role of companies in combating human trafficking and the psychological consequences of human trafficking. She is also an expert in the field of global migration and conducts research into abuses during migration, including human trafficking and smuggling.

She was director of INTERVICT (the Dutch interdisciplinary research institute for victimology) and worked as a deputy judge in criminal cases for 10 years. Rijken is trained as a lawyer in international and European law with a specialization in human rights and defended her dissertation in 2003 on the European criminal law approach to human trafficking.

For long, La Strada International has been closely cooperating with Conny Rijken. We congratulate her with this important new position and look forward to continue our joint work to improve access to rights for trafficked persons.