Parosha Chandran

Chandran was born in a mining town in Nottinghamshire.[1] Her mother is from northern Pakistan and Muslim, and her late father was a Tamil Hindu from northern Sri Lanka.[1][5][6] Both her parents were doctors, and later Mayor and Mayoress of the Borough of Gedling.[5] She attended the Nottingham Girls High School.[1]

Chandran completed her L.L.B.(Honours) at the University of London and a teacher-training course in Human Rights from the International Centre for the Teaching of Human Rights in Universities, Strasbourg.[4] During her L.L.B. program, she was inspired to pursue human rights as a career after hearing Theodor Meron speak about the Bosnian War.[5] In 2019, she described the experience as, "I felt an almost physical pain when I learned about the war crimes being committed, neighbour against neighbour, yet I found peace in a calm realisation that law could help. The fight wasn’t for myself anymore. I would fight for the human rights of others." She completed her L.L.M at University College London[4] and completed a diploma in human rights from the International Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg.[7]

Chandran (fourth from right) at a US State Department Trafficking in Persons Report ceremony in 2015

From 1993 to 1995, Chandran served as a volunteer with the British Institute of Human Rights,[5] and was an intern with The AIRE Centre from 1995 to 1996.[4] She was also an intern with the European Commission of Human Rights in 1996 and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in 1997.[4]

Chandran became a practicing barrister at the Bar of England and Wales in 1997.[1] In 1997, she was a human rights research consultant for King's College London, and from 1997 to 1998, an Independent Legal Advisor on human rights legislation to the Lord Chancellor's Department.[1][4][5] In 1999, she worked for the Office of the Prosecutor, UN International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, located in The Hague, Netherlands.[1][7] She served as a law clerk for the trial of General Blaški, which included drafting a legal argument for witness anonymity that became the first such petition granted by the tribunal.[5]

She has served as Governor of the British Institute of Human Rights from 1998 through 2000, as a Trustee from 2000 through 2010 and as Vice Chair from 2008 through 2010.[4] Beginning in 2012, Chandran has worked as an expert for the Council of Europe and the United Nations on issues related to human trafficking,[1] and was a member of the Group of Experts of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime from 2012 through 2014.[4] From 2013 through 2018, she worked as an expert for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on issues related to human trafficking.[1] From 2007 through 2017, she served as an independent legal advisor to Anti-Slavery International, and she has been an independent adviser on child trafficking to UNICEF UK since 2014.[1]

From 2013 to 2015, she was an independent adviser on modern slavery exploitation bills of Scotland and Northern Ireland,[1] after representing Patience Asuquo, whose slavery case and later testimony before a UK Parliament committee helped shape the Modern Slavery Act 2015.[5] Beginning in 2017, she has been a senior legal adviser for UK Parliament CPA UK Modern Slavery Project,[1][5][4] which has included drafting anti-slavery legislation for Uganda.[1]

Her work as a barrister includes the successful representation of A.N. in V.C.L and A.N. v. the United Kingdom (2021), a landmark case before the European Court of Human Rights,[8][9][10] and related representation in the UK.[11][12][1] In 2008, while in practice at 1 Pump Court, she successfully changed Home Office policy in a landmark case that established protections against deportation for survivors of trafficking who gave evidence against traffickers.[5] She also helped legally establish protection against prosecution for survivors of trafficking for crimes directly related to the trafficking.[5]

In 2018, Chandran became the first Professor of modern slavery law at King's College London.[1][5]

Chandran has regularly provided expert commentary about issues related to modern slavery, including calling for enhanced supply chain laws in 2020,[13] and for the criminalization of slavery in 2018 while serving as part of a delegation from the UK Modern Slavery Project to Uganda to support the drafting of anti-slavery, anti-trafficking, and anti-commercial sexual exploitation legislation.[14] In 2017, she provided commentary on law enforcement responses to modern slavery,[15] and what the general public can do to help.[16] In 2014, she discussed the Modern Slavery Act 2015 while it was being developed.[17]

In 2018, she was a speaker at The Second International Maritime Human Rights Conference on the topic of 'Proofing your supply chain against modern slavery.'[18]

• Chandran, Parosha, ed. (2011). Human Trafficking Handbook: Recognising Trafficking and Modern-Day Slavery in the UK. London: Lexis-Nexis. ISBN 9781405765596. OCLC 751752752.

• 2008, Law Society of England and Wales Barrister of the Year[19]
• 2009, Society of Asian Lawyers' Pro Bono/Human Rights Lawyer of the Year Award[7]
• 2009, The Times Law Panel (100 most influential lawyers in the UK)[4]
• 2015, U.S. Department of State 'Trafficking in Persons Hero Award'[20][21][22]

• Member of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Pro Bono Lawyers Panel (2003-)[4]
• Member of Lincoln's Inn Euro Committee (2005-)[4]
• Co-founder of the Trafficking Law and Policy Forum (2007-)[4]
• Member of The Times Law Panel (2009-)[4]
• Member, Presidential Task Force on Human Trafficking, International Bar Association (2015)[4]

Chandran lives in Hammersmith, London and has one son.[1][5]

• The impact of Covid-19 on modern slavery and child labour - How can lawyers make a difference? (International Bar Association webinar, June 12, 2020)