Biography of the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children, Ms Siobhán Mullally

Siobhán Mullally is the Established Professor of Human Rights Law and Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the School of Law, University of Galway.

From 2012-2018, she was a member of the Council of Europe Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA), elected as President of GRETA from 2016-2018 and as 1st Vice-President from 2014-2018. In this capacity, she was co-Rapporteur for country evaluations of Italy, Hungary, Turkey, Sweden, United Kingdom and Austria.

Ms Mullally has worked with international NGOs and UN agencies in many parts of the world including in Pakistan, Timor-Leste, Kosovo, Kazakhstan, Ethiopia, working with UNIFEM, UNDP, OHCHR, International Crisis Group, Irish Aid, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. She is the recipient of numerous research awards for work relating to gender equality, migration and refugee protection, human trafficking and migrant workers, including from the Irish Research Council, European Commission, Irish Aid, International Bar Association, Nuffield Foundation.

From 2014-2019, Ms Mullally was a Commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, and member of the Good Friday Agreement treaty body, the Joint Committee on Human Rights of the Northern Irish and Irish Human Rights Commissions. She is currently a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, The Hague, and Joint Editor in Chief of the Irish Yearbook of International Law.

Ms Mullally has held visiting positions in several Universities including Columbia University, School of Law (Fulbright Scholar and Senior Fellow in Residence) (2010), Cornell Law School (Clark Scholar) (2003), Harvard Law School, (Human Rights Fellow )(1999), National Law School of India University, Bangalore (1994), Peshawar University (1992-94).

Ms Mullally’s research has been published in leading journals including Human Rights Quarterly, International and Comparative Law Quarterly, Modern Law Review, Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, American Journal of Comparative Law, European Human Rights Law Review, Social and Legal Studies, Asian Yearbook of International Law. Her books include: Gender Migration and Care: Law and Practice (ed.) (Routledge: 2015); and Gender Culture and Human Rights: Reclaiming Universalism (Hart: 2006). Published reports include A Child Rights Response to Child Migration and Migrant Children at Risk (International Bar Association: 2019) and Report into the Independence of the Judiciary in Pakistan (International Bar Association: 2007).

Prior to her appointment at University of Galway, Ms Mullally held a Full Professorship in Law at University College Cork, where she was also Director of the Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights. From 2006-8, Ms Mullally served as Chairperson of the Irish Refugee Council. She was a founding member of the Board of Directors of NASC, the Refugee and Migrant Rights Centre and is a member of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.

Ms Mullally is a graduate of the European University Institute, Florence (PhD), the London School of Economics (LL.M) and University College Cork (BCL).