SWAN Executive Director

An avid traveller and academic, Alison's extensive experience providing front-line service and advocacy to sex workers fuels her passions for community education, advocacy and policy reform. Her primary research interests include critical discourse analysis of human trafficking perspectives. 

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Steering collaborative partnerships and connections with sex worker and migrant rights groups across Canada and around the world, Alison oversees all aspects of SWAN's mission, campaigns, political advocacy, service provision and day-to-day operations.  Alison holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor and Masters of Social Work, and is known for her engaging facilitation, community presentations and strategic leadership.  

Associate Professor, Criminology & Criminal Justice, University of the Fraser Valley (UFV)

Hayli has lived and worked internationally in roles as a Consultant to the United Nations, and as a Gender, Law & Development Specialist for an Asian Bank funded research project assessing South Asia's anti-human-trafficking convention. Her desk and field research has spanned several countries, including Canada's Northwest and Yukon Territories, and focused on sexual assault sentencing decisions, alternate dispute resolution, and Indigenous community justice. 

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She has authored various reports and articles, and currently co-authors and contributes to a UFV study on children experiencing parental incarceration.  Hayli holds a PhD in international law, as well as Masters and Bachelor degrees in Criminology.

Professor, Criminology Department, Simon Fraser University (SFU)

Dr. O'Doherty as extensive experience with collaborative research, mixed methodologies and legal analysis. She has published in several peer-reviewed journals and other academic books on the effects of criminalization on marginalized populations, victimization in Canada's sex industries, feminist theory, criminal law, and collaborative research methods, as well as her Ph.D dissertation: "Criminalization and Off-Street Sex Work in Canada." 

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Dr. Doherty holds a Masters degree and a PhD in Criminology, as well as a Bachelor degree in Criminal Justice and a JD law degree.

Assistant Professor of Critical Indigenous Geographies, University of British Columbia (UBC)

Dr. Hunt is a Kwagiulth scholar whose trans-disciplinary research critically analyses violence, law, resistance, Indigenous resurgence, and self-determination. Dr. Hunt's research and writing emerge from 15 years of work as a community-based researcher and educator in rural and urban Indigenous communities. Her work on human trafficking began in the 90's when she became involved with GAATW Canada.  More recently she collaborated with GAATW Canada as as part of a team conducting research on anti-trafficking discourse during the 2010 Olympics.

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Sarah has published on a range of issues related to neo-colonial power relations and decolonization, including topics of gender and sexuality, sex work, the politicization of everyday resistance, and Indigenous research and education. Sarah recently joined UBC as assistant professor in the First Nations and Indigenous Studies Program and Department of Geography. 

Member, Butterfly Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Network

With an original background in engineering, Mary supports sex work as work and as a viable alternative for earning a living.  She believes consensual sex work is part of what makes a sustainable, healthy society.

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Mary contributes to Butterfly's newsletter as a writer and editor, and works to inspire migrant workers to stay strong and maintain awareness of their rights.  She promotes and advocates for migrant workers to unite in the fight against stigma, and to express their voices and truths - sharing their stories and wisdom helps remove barriers and strengthen community.  

Founder, Butterfly Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Network

Elene has advocated for sex workers, migrant, labour and gender justice for more than 15 years. She is the co-founder of Migrant Sex Workers Project, and the founder and current Executive Director of Butterfly Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Network, which is based in Toronto, Canada.

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Elene holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in both Law and Social Work.

Assistant Professor of Criminology, Department of Sociology, Hong Kong University (HKU)

Dr. Ham has published several works on sex work, anti-trafficking, gender and migration.  Prior to joining the University of Hong Kong, Julie worked with the Border Crossing Observatory (Monash University), the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women(GAATW) and with several Canadian organizations with mandates supporting women, sex workers and immigrant, refugee and low-income urban communities.  Currently she serves as sits on SWAN's Board of Directors and serves as President. 

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She co-authored the article "Hot pants at the border: Sorting sex work from trafficking" in 2014, which received the British Journal of Criminology's Radzinowicz Memorial Prize.  Dr. Ham holds a Bachelor degree in Psychology, as well as Bachelor and Masters degrees and a Ph.D in Social Work.

Former Outreach Coordinator at SWAN Vancouver

Kimberly received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of the Fraser Valley in 2011 with a major in Psychology and an extended minor in Criminology. At the time of this event, she worked with SWAN as the Outreach Coordinator while she pursued her Masters of Public Policy at Simon Fraser University.