Parosha Chandran (born 1969 or 1970^[1]) is a Professor of Practice in Modern Slavery Law in The Dickson Poon School of Law, King's College London.^[2] She is also a human rights barrister at One Pump Court and an expert advisor on human trafficking law for the United Nations and the Council of Europe.^[3][4]

Chandran was born in Sutton-in-Ashfield in Nottinghamshire.^[1] Her mother is from northern Pakistan and Muslim, and her late father was a Tamil Hindu from northern Sri Lanka.^[1][5][6] Both her parents were doctors, and later Mayor and Mayoress of the Borough of Gedling.^[5] She attended the Nottingham Girls High School.^[1]

Chandran completed her L.L.B.(Honours) at the University of London and a teacher-training course in Human Rights from the International Centre for the Teaching of Human Rights in Universities, Strasbourg.^[4] During her L.L.B. program, she was inspired to pursue human rights as a career after hearing Theodor Meron speak about the Bosnian War.^[5] In 2019, she described the experience as, "I felt an almost physical pain when I learned about the war crimes being committed, neighbour against neighbour, yet I found peace in a calm realisation that law could help. The fight wasn’t for myself anymore. I would fight for the human rights of others." She completed her L.L.M at University College London^[4] and completed a diploma in human rights from the International Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg.^[7]

From 1993 to 1995, Chandran served as a volunteer with the British Institute of Human Rights,^[5] and was an intern with The AIRE Centre from 1995 to 1996.^[4] She was also an intern with the European Commission of Human Rights in 1996 and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in 1997.^[4]

Chandran became a practicing barrister at the Bar of England and Wales in 1997.^[1] In 1997, she was a human rights research consultant for King's College London, and from 1997 to 1998, an Independent Legal Advisor on human rights legislation to the Lord Chancellor's Department.^[1][4][5] In 1999, she worked for the Office of the Prosecutor, UN International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, located in The Hague, Netherlands.^[1][7] She served as a law clerk for the trial of General Blaški, which included drafting a legal argument for witness anonymity that became the first such petition granted by the tribunal.^[5]

She has served as Governor of the British Institute of Human Rights from 1998 through 2000, as a Trustee from 2000 through 2010 and as Vice Chair from 2008 through 2010.^[4] Beginning in 2012, Chandran has worked as an expert for the Council of Europe and the United Nations on issues related to human trafficking,^[1] and was a member of the Group of Experts of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime from 2012 through 2014.^[4] From 2013 through 2018, she worked as an expert for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on issues related to human trafficking.^[1] From 2007 through 2017, she served as an independent legal advisor to Anti-Slavery International, and she has been an independent adviser on child trafficking to UNICEF UK since 2014.^[1]

From 2013 to 2015, she was an independent adviser on modern slavery exploitation bills of Scotland and Northern Ireland,^[1] after representing Patience Asuquo, whose slavery case and later testimony before a UK Parliament committee helped shape the Modern Slavery Act 2015.^[5] Beginning in 2017, she has been a senior legal adviser for UK Parliament CPA UK Modern Slavery Project,^[1][5][4] which has included drafting anti-slavery legislation for Uganda.^[1]

Her work as a barrister includes the successful representation of A.N. in V.C.L and A.N. v. the United Kingdom (2021), a landmark case before the European Court of Human Rights,^[8][9][10] and related representation in the UK.^[11][12][1] In 2008, while in practice at 1 Pump Court, she successfully changed Home Office policy in a landmark case that established protections against deportation for survivors of trafficking who gave evidence against traffickers.^[5] She also helped legally establish protection against prosecution for survivors of trafficking for crimes directly related to the trafficking.^[5]

In 2018, Chandran became the first Professor of modern slavery law at King's College London.^[1][5]

Chandran has regularly provided expert commentary about issues related to modern slavery, including calling for enhanced supply chain laws in 2020,^[13] and for the criminalization of slavery in 2018 while serving as part of a delegation from the UK Modern Slavery Project to Uganda to support the drafting of anti-slavery, anti-trafficking, and anti-commercial sexual exploitation legislation.^[14] In 2017, she provided commentary on law enforcement responses to modern slavery,^[15] and what the general public can do to help.^[16] In 2014, she discussed the Modern Slavery Act 2015 while it was being developed.^[17]

In 2018, she was a speaker at The Second International Maritime Human Rights Conference on the topic of 'Proofing your supply chain against modern slavery.'^[18]

• Chandran, Parosha, ed. (2011). Human Trafficking Handbook: Recognising Trafficking and Modern-Day Slavery in the UK. London: Lexis-Nexis. ISBN 9781405765596. OCLC 751752752.

• 2008, Law Society of England and Wales Barrister of the Year^[19]
• 2009, Society of Asian Lawyers' Pro Bono/Human Rights Lawyer of the Year Award^[7]
• 2009, The Times Law Panel (100 most influential lawyers in the UK)^[4]
• 2015, U.S. Department of State 'Trafficking in Persons Hero Award'^[20][21][22]

• Member of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Pro Bono Lawyers Panel (2003-)^[4]
• Member of Lincoln's Inn Euro Committee (2005-)^[4]
• Co-founder of the Trafficking Law and Policy Forum (2007-)^[4]
• Member of The Times Law Panel (2009-)^[4]
• Member, Presidential Task Force on Human Trafficking, International Bar Association (2015)^[4]

Chandran lives in Hammersmith, London and has one son.^[1][5]