Roisai Wongsuban

Roisai Wongsuban joined the Freedom Fund in January 2019 as Program Advisor for the Thailand hotspot. Over the past decade, Roisai has worked as a human rights and humanitarian advocate on behalf of migrants, refugees, displaced persons, asylum seekers and survivors of human trafficking. Roisai holds an M.A in Migration Studies from the University of Sussex, where she received a Chevening Scholarship, and another Master’s degree in International Development from Monash University.

Roisai’s passion for advocacy began during an internship at Project Respect, a community organisation assisting trafficked women in Melbourne, Australia. Roisai has used the strategic, deliberate and rational approach to building coalitions for policy reform and enforcement on litigation of trafficking cases, universal birth registration, education for all, immigration management and other policy initiatives.

Prior to joining Freedom Fund, Roisai worked as Trafficking in Persons Adviser for Australia – Asia, which focused on strengthening law enforcement to prosecute offenders and protect victims of trafficking. She also held the position of Country Manager for iCare Benefit Thailand, which provides alternative welfare for blue collar workers. Roisai has also held positions as a Migration Expert for the International Organisation for Migration and Senior Advocacy Coordinator overseeing IRC’s entire Thailand portfolio.

Roisai is a strong voice for women – both as a Thai woman operating in a patriarchal political space, but also in terms of ensuring that the specific issues facing migrant women are brought to the fore, and she continues to seize any opportunity to address rights violations and strive for long-term structural change.