Sarah Bessell

Sarah L. Bessell is the Deputy Director at The Human Trafficking Legal Center, where she provides training and technical assistance for immigration and civil human trafficking cases. Bessell also conducts research on accountability for human trafficking victims and has authored publications on the intersection between human trafficking and corruption, diplomatic immunity, persons with disabilities, and domestic violence. Bessell manages the Human Trafficking Legal Center’s international strategic litigation program. Bessell has a background in international human rights and conflict prevention. She spent time in Cambodia, where she worked in the Office of the International Co-Prosecutor of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. Prior to this, she worked on international conflict resolution issues at the University for Peace in Ethiopia and at the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Bessell holds a J.D. from the George Washington University Law School and an M.A. (Conflict Resolution) from Georgetown University. Bessell is admitted to practice in New York and the District of Columbia.