Vanessa Drummond

Guest Author

Vanessa Drummond is the assistant director of the Anti-Torture Initiative (@antitorture_WCL) at American University Washington College of Law’s Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law, where she leads the global human rights and torture prevention projects of the Initiative and works with partners worldwide to develop and implement advocacy efforts to advance new standards to prevent torture and ill-treatment. She previously supported the mandate of the former U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture as a researcher and legal analyst, and, in support of the Kovler Project Against Torture, conducted research on and identified areas of non-compliance by States Parties to the U.N. Convention Against Torture.

She has significant work experience in international development, with an expertise in children, youth, and gender issues, having served as a communications consultant with UNICEF Brazil and held positions with the World Bank’s Strategy, Gender and Special Initiatives Team, the Education Development Center, and Save the Children USA’s Public Policy and Advocacy Division. She is a graduate of New York University and holds an M.A. in International Development from American University School of International Service and a J.D. from American University Washington College of Law.