Malika Saada Saar

Senior Fellow in International and Public Affairs
Areas of Expertise Criminal Justice, Gender, Human Rights, Inequality & Poverty, Race, Identity & Ethnicity, Technology & Innovation
Areas of Interest Human Rights; Tech and Human Rights; Gender-Based Violence; Racial and Gender Justice

Biography

Malika Saada Saar is YouTube’s Global Head of Human Rights and formerly Google's Senior Counsel on Civil and Human Rights. Before joining Google, Malika was founder and Executive Director of the Human Rights Project for Girls (Rights4Girls), a human rights organization focused on gender-based violence against young women and girls in the U.S. She also served as Special Counsel on Human Rights at The Raben Group. As a human rights lawyer and advocate, Malika led the effort to shut down Craigslist sex ads that served as the leading site for the trafficking of children for sex, ended the federal practice of shackling pregnant mothers behind bars in U.S. prisons, and successfully advocated for millions in federal funding for treatment services for at-risk families. 

Newsweek and the Daily Beast have named Malika as one of “150 Women Who Shake the World.” The Obama White House selected Ms. Saada Saar to serve on the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. She has also been honored by Brown University's highest alumni award, the Roger Williams award, and by Georgetown Law Center's esteemed Robert F. Drinan Award for Public Service. 

Ms. Saada Saar holds a B.A. from Brown University, M.A. in Education from Stanford University, and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.

Research

Research comprises criminal justice reform, gender-based violence, child sex trafficking.

Publications

Teaching

Human Rights and Technology

Recent News

News from Watson

Spring 2024 practitioner-led study groups

These not-for-credit study groups provide an opportunity for students to delve deeply into topics and apply theory and research to real world challenges. Enrollment in each group is limited to 25 students.
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News from Watson

Top ‘News from Watson’ stories of 2023

2023 was an exciting year at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs with the Institute welcoming its largest-ever cohort of military fellows, celebrating 10 years of the China Initiative and welcoming new leaders. This year’s top 10 stories from the Watson Institute appear below.
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The fall of 2023 will bring renowned human rights lawyer Malika Saada Saar and former U.S. Rep. James R. Langevin to the Watson Institute as senior fellows who will lead student study groups, along with an array of practitioners who will focus on issues relevant to first-generation and low-income college students.
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News from Watson

Fall 2023 practitioner-led study groups

These not-for-credit study groups provide an opportunity for students to delve deeply into topics and apply theory and research to real world challenges. Enrollment in each group is limited to 25 students. 
Read Article