Gender Based Violence Plenary: How do we prevent the physical, sexual, and mental abuse of women and girls?
Hear from our inspirational delegate speakers
Speakers
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Thomas Kingsley Justice LebbieHead of ProgrammesThomas Kingsley Justice Lebbie
Head of Programmes
Thomas is a Sierra Leonean researcher, social worker, feminist, and disability-inclusive development professional with over nine years of experience. My expertise spans gender inclusion, child protection, Health system strengthening, sustainable peacebuilding, and inclusive governance. I specialize in policy decision-making, strategy formulation, advocacy, and youth empowerment, focusing on women, girls, and persons with disabilities.
Advocating for gender equality and disability inclusive development has been an incredibly part of my journey. Like most Sierra Leonean young professionals, I started my advocacy journey since 2011. Personally, through my work, I have met with Girls and young women, persons with disabilities and Youths from different backgrounds and believes that have been restricted by the social, traditional and or religious norms and society’s expectations. Not only that I have worked with them but also together we are gradually overcoming discriminatory practices in communities.
Currently, I serve as the Head of Programs at the Welfare Society Disabled Sierra Leone (The leading disability led NGO in Sierra Leone) and the President of the Mano River Youth Network (A regional youth network). I also manage my own multimedia company and consultancy firm.
As a result-oriented leader, I possess strong planning, organizational, and cross-cultural communication skills. I have advanced expertise in data analysis, partnership building, mentoring, and facilitation, allowing him to work effectively across diverse environments.
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Allison ChoongGirls' Rights ActivistAllison Choong
Girls' Rights Activist
Allison Choong is a dedicated girls’ rights advocate from Penang, Malaysia, passionate about empowering young voices. She is a writer for UNICEF Malaysia, serves on the Board of Directors of Girl Rising, and is a Junior Board Member of Riley’s Way. She is also the illustrator and co-author of Safiya Speaks Up, a children’s book available in four languages, accompanied by a mentor’s guide that helps readers understand sexual violence and trauma. Recognised as a 2026 Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree in Social Impact and a 2025 Canon Young Champion, Allison has shared her insights as a youth activist at global forums, advocating for the rights, voices, and resilience of young girls.
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Naomi KoinaseFounder and Executive DirectorNaomi Koinase
Founder and Executive Director
Naomi Emanuel Koinase is an Indigenous Maasai leader from Northern Tanzania with expertise in education, gender and community development. She is the Founder and Executive Director of the OMOM Maasai Community Foundation, a grassroots organization expanding access to quality education and leadership opportunities for Indigenous Maasai girls.
The first person from her village to graduate from university, Naomi survived child marriage and transformed her experience into a lifelong mission: ensuring that no girl is forced to choose between education and tradition. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Governance and Development and a Master's degree in Gender and Development from the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom as a Chevening Scholar.
Under her leadership, OMOM has reached more than 7,000 people across Northern Tanzania and supported over 500 Maasai girls through scholarships, safe housing, mentorship and educational resources. Naomi serves as a member of the UNESCO SDG 4 Youth and Student Network, where she advocates for mother-tongue and multilingual education for Indigenous children and her work to preserve the Maa language has been recognized by UNESCO. Her leadership has also been recognized through the Trevor Noah Foundation Education Changemaker Award. She has represented the voices of Indigenous Maasai girls on global platforms, including the UN Women Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) and the Education World Forum. -
Praise NwankwoFounderPraise Nwankwo
Founder
Praise Chidiebube Nwankwo is a gender justice advocate and Founder of HerRise Foundation, a feminist nonprofit reaching over 20,000 women and girls across Nigeria through gender-based violence prevention, psychosocial safe spaces, and women’s leadership programming.
Raised in a rural slum in Ebonyi State, Nigeria, Praise built HerRise from her school allowance after surviving a life-threatening brain condition at seventeen, making a covenant that her life would be spent breaking the silence nobody broke for the women and girls around her. Under her leadership, HerRise has secured consecutive Ford Foundation grants, produced Nigeria’s first school GBV Club Manual, trained 163 teachers as GBV first responders, and launched the Young Women Leadership Fellowship.
She is a One Young World Ambassador 2026, a Global Fellow in Courage, a former UNICEF Generation Unlimited Young People’s Action Team Board Member, and a 2025 National Health Fellow of Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health. She has represented Nigerian youth at the UN Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha, Qatar, and is a Fellow of Lagos Business School, YIAGA Africa, and Harvard Business School faculty’s Aspire Leadership Institute.
She does not just understand the communities she serves. She came from them.
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Francesca ProutAuthor, Producer, International Speaker and AdvocateFrancesca Prout
Author, Producer, International Speaker and Advocate
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Tatjana SmithOlympic Champion, World Record Holder and South Africa's Most Decorated SwimmerTatjana Smith
Olympic Champion, World Record Holder and South Africa's Most Decorated Swimmer
Tatjana Smith
South Africa’s most decorated Olympian, Tatjana Smith is widely regarded as one of the greatest breaststroke swimmers in history. A multiple Olympic, World Championship and Commonwealth Games medallist, she has set South African, African and Olympic records while redefining excellence in women’s breaststroke.
Career highlights include:
South Africa’s most decorated Olympian
Most successful female Olympic breaststroker in history
Tied as the only Olympian - male or female - to win four Olympic breaststroke medals
South African, African and Olympic record holder in the 100m and 200m breaststroke
First woman to break 2:19 in the 200m breaststroke
Former world record holder in the 200m breaststroke
First South African woman to win a World Championship gold medal in breaststroke
Major achievements:
Olympic Games: 2 Gold (2021 200m, 2024 100m), 2 Silver (2021 100m, 2024 200m)
World Championships: Gold (2023 200m), Silver (2019 200m, 2023 100m)
Commonwealth Games: 3 Gold (2018 100m & 200m; 2022 200m), Silver (2022 100m)
World University Games: 2 Gold (2019 100m & 200m), Silver (2017 200m)
Honours:
African Female Swimmer of the Year (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023)
South African Sports Star of the Year (2019, 2022)
South African Sportswoman of the Year (2019, 2022) -
Hauwa OjeifoHuman Rights Activist and Mental Health AdvocateHauwa Ojeifo
Human Rights Activist and Mental Health Advocate
Hauwa Ojeifo publicly identifies as a person living with a mental health condition and psychosocial disability. Popularly known as “the voice of mental health” in Nigeria, she has received numerous local and international honours and recognitions.
She is the Executive Director of She Writes Woman (SWW), an award-winning movement that gives mental health a voice in Nigeria. She is also the creator of Safe Place Nigeria, a digital community providing mental health tools, resources, a 24/7 toll-free helpline, access to counsellors and therapists, and a supportive community. As a sexual violence survivor, she is giving mental health and sexual violence a voice, challenging misinformation and normalising mental health conversations in Nigeria.
Hauwa holds an MSc in Investment Banking & Islamic Finance from Henley Business School, University of Reading, and has worked across six industries, including health, finance, fashion, event planning, retail services, and digital marketing. She is a certified integrative mental health coach who uses her lived experience to advocate for people with psychosocial disabilities across Nigeria and beyond.
She is a recipient of the Queen’s Young Leaders Award (2018), a One Young World Ambassador, an AstraZeneca Young Health Programme Scholar, the first African recipient of the MTV Europe Music Generation Change Award (2018), and an Obama Africa Leader (2019). In 2020, she became the first person with a mental health condition to testify before the Nigerian National Assembly on the rights of persons with mental health conditions and psychosocial disabilities, helping secure reconsideration of legislation and the subsequent passage of a more rights-respecting Mental Health Act.
Hauwa is also a Mandela Washington Fellowship Awardee (2020), recipient of the 2020 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Goalkeepers Global Goals Changemaker Award, the inaugural Human Rights Watch Marca Bristo Fellowship (2020), among other honours and recognitions.
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Mark TewksburyCanadian Olympic Champion Swimmer and HumanitarianMark Tewksbury
Canadian Olympic Champion Swimmer and Humanitarian
Mark Tewksbury first came to prominence as a record-breaking backstroke swimmer. His sixteen-year athletic career included 21 national titles, 7 world records, Olympic gold, silver and bronze medals, and a cover appearance on TIME magazine.
When he publicly came out in 1998, Mark was one of the first openly gay Olympic Champions in the world and has been a leader with the global 2SLGBTQ+ movement ever since.
In 2019, he was awarded a Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award for his work in gender inclusion and sexual diversity. In 2020, Mark was appointed Companion of the Order of Canada, the nation’s highest civilian honor. In 2022, Mark represented Canada as part of the Honours Procession at Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s State Funeral.
Embracing the notion of life-long learning, in 2025, after three years of studies and working in a commercial kitchen, Mark completed the Red Seal culinary program.
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Sophie Grégoire TrudeauBest-selling Author, Mental Health Advocate, Television HostSophie Grégoire Trudeau
Best-selling Author, Mental Health Advocate, Television Host
Sophie Grégoire Trudeau is a Canadian-born best-selling author, public speaker, mental health advocate, television host, and certified yoga teacher for both adults and children. Her work for gender equality and empowering women and youth has been recognized by multiple organizations including the United Nations. Her instant national bestseller and Best on Audible (2024) book Closer Together: Knowing Ourselves, Loving Each Other has inspired readers across North America and beyond.
Sophie has spoken on hundreds of global stages about mental health and emotional well-being including Yale’s Faculty of Medicine, the Forbes 30/50 Summit in Abu Dhabi, SXSW in Austin, Texas, Global Citizen, and other events at the United Nations in New York City. She has hosted television and radio programs in Canada, collaborated with leading international organizations as a global ambassador, and her voice has been featured in documentaries, podcasts, magazines, and conferences worldwide.
Throughout her career, Sophie has met and interviewed some of the world’s most inspiring public figures who are shaping a fairer and more compassionate world — including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai and trauma expert Dr. Gabor Maté — deepening her lifelong exploration of justice, healing, and human connection.
In 2025, she was named a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, recognizing her enduring commitment to education, exploration, and the preservation of Canada’s natural and cultural heritage.
Sophie remains a curious student of life and human connection. She’s now completing an introductory training of Gabor Maté’s short Compassionate Inquiry Course (30 hrs) which dives deep into methods to uncover unconscious beliefs, heal trauma, and foster deeper self-awareness and compassion.
Through her teaching, writing, and advocacy, she continues to champion wellness, resilience, and connection with Mother Nature.
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Rebecca King-CrewsFashion Designer, Singer-songwriter, Producer and PhilanthropistRebecca King-Crews
Fashion Designer, Singer-songwriter, Producer and Philanthropist
Rebecca King-Crews is an American television personality, fashion designer, singer-songwriter, producer, author, speaker, and wife of actor/comedian Terry Crews. She produced and starred in The Family Crews for BET Networks, airing internationally in 30+ countries.
She has appeared on more than 40 television programs as a reality personality, starring as herself, including The Bachelor, Celebrity Game Face, Black Love, Life After, Extra, Celebrity Family Feud, and Master Chef Celebrity Edition, as well as talk and news programs like Dr. Oz, Dr. Phil, Queen Latifah, Wendy Williams, Drew Barrymore Show, and The Today Show. She also starred in the independent film Blueberry.
Rebecca, gifted with a powerful and infectious voice, is a recording artist who has recorded over 20 songs and released her self-titled debut album REGINA MADRE. Four singles received radio airplay, with “What You Wanna Do?” and “Reachin for the Top” reaching the Top 30 on U.S. R&B charts.
Alongside Terry, Rebecca has been an advocate against sexual harassment and abuse following his admission of being assaulted by an agency executive. They have spoken worldwide about their experience. She also co-authored Stronger Together, an Audible Original memoir chronicling their romance, NFL years, Hollywood struggles, near divorce, and eventual success, offering hope to couples in crisis.
A breast cancer survivor, Rebecca underwent a double mastectomy during the pandemic and became a spokesperson for early detection and screenings. She launched her clothing, cosmetics, and accessories line with Saks Fifth Avenue in 2021, opening her first flagship store in Pasadena, CA in October 2024.
Rebecca is a philanthropist and contributor to charities serving women, children, and families in need. She has partnered with RISE US, Stand Up to Cancer, The Salvation Army, and others, and with Terry has spoken at events supporting victims of sex trafficking and sexual assault.