New Executive Director for ECPAT International

Press Release

New Executive Director for ECPAT International

The ECPAT International Board of Trustees announces the appointment of Kathleen Speake as its new Executive Director located in the ECPAT International Secretariat Office in Bangkok, Thailand. She will commence her role in the Secretariat office on Monday 7 March 2011 succeeding Carmen Madrinan who has provided leadership and vision to further the ECPAT’s work in advancing child rights to protection from sexual exploitation, over the last decade.

Kathleen comes to ECPAT International with vast work experience as an international development professional and a passionate advocate for social justice and rights-based approaches. She worked for the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Office for China and Mongolia promoting core labour standards, particularly the elimination of child labour. She has a deep understanding of global development policy and practice and an appreciation of the complex multi-faceted factors that put children and adolescents at risk for exploitation. In China and the Greater-Mekong Sub-region, she led ILO national-level and sub-regional policy and evidence-based advocacy initiatives for trafficking prevention, rights protection, and safe migration for girls and young women.

Kathleen’s experience with civil society organizations includes engagement with the world co-operative movement, especially when she led the Canadian Co-operative Association’s multi-sector program for Asia and Eastern Europe. She has worked in China, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Mongolia, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Ukraine and Vietnam.

She holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration and Public Policy. Kathleen is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and has conversational French. She currently lives in her hometown of Ottawa, Canada.

Kathleen says, “Child sexual exploitation is a complex and growing problem requiring the attention and action of all society. I believe that ECPAT is the kind of global player that can bring an end to this shocking violation of children’s rights, because of its ability to network at all levels and build collaborative partnerships with government, civil society, the private sector, and the broader child rights community.”

“It is with great anticipation that I look forward to taking up my post as Executive Director and working alongside you to promote coordinated and effective world action to end child sexual exploitation.”

New Zealand Director for ECPAT Child ALERT pays tribute to the sterling work of outgoing Executive Director - especially in establishing the organization globally and earning huge credibility as a major contributor to preventing child sex exploitation around the world. “We now look forward to building on that solid platform and ensuring that every effort is made to combat the sexual abuse of children” says Mr Bell. “It is a global problem demanding global solutions. Each country needs to contribute so that the many parts form an effective and complementary global approach to put a stop to the sexual exploitation of children.”

ECPAT stands for Ending Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Child Trafficking. ECPAT Child ALERT is the New Zealand member of ECPAT International network that operates in over 75 countries around the world.

ENDS

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