# Gary A. Haugen

> Gary A. Haugen is an American human rights lawyer, author, and the founder and CEO of International Justice Mission. A former U.S. Department of Justice civil rights attorney who directed the United Nations investigation after the 1994 Rwandan genocide, he founded IJM in 1997 to help people living in poverty obtain protection from violence through functioning justice systems.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at International Justice Mission
- **Organizations:** International Justice Mission, U.S. Department of Justice, United Nations Centre for Human Rights, Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, National Initiative for Reconciliation
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A. in Social Studies, magna cum laude, Harvard University, J.D., cum laude, University of Chicago Law School
- **Known for:** Founded International Justice Mission in 1997., Led an international evidence-gathering team for the UN investigation after the Rwandan genocide in 1994., Received the 2007 William Wilberforce Award.

## Career timeline

- **1985** — Graduated from Harvard; worked in South Africa with the National Initiative for Reconciliation after college.
- **1991** — Graduated from the University of Chicago Law School and joined the U.S. Department of Justice.
- **1994** — Directed the United Nations investigation into the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide while detailed from the Justice Department.
- **1997** — Left the Justice Department and founded International Justice Mission.
- **2007** — Received the William Wilberforce Award.
- **2012** — Recognized as a U.S. State Department Trafficking in Persons Report Hero.
- **2014** — Published The Locust Effect with coauthor Victor Boutros.
- **2015** — Delivered a TED talk on everyday violence and poverty.
- **2019** — Delivered Wake Forest University’s baccalaureate address and received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
- **2026** — Addressed forced scamming at Davos and wrote on AI-enabled exploitation for the World Economic Forum.

## Achievements

- Founded International Justice Mission in 1997.
- Led an international evidence-gathering team for the UN investigation after the Rwandan genocide in 1994.
- Received the 2007 William Wilberforce Award.
- Named a 2012 Trafficking in Persons Report Hero by the U.S. State Department.
- Coauthored The Locust Effect with Victor Boutros.
- Received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Wake Forest University in 2019.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — Authored a World Economic Forum opinion article on preventing AI-enabled scamming, trafficking, and exploitation.
- **2026-02** — Appeared on The Just Life with Benjamin Watson to discuss poverty, violence, faith, and justice.
- **2026-01** — Participated in a World Economic Forum panel on the human impact of cybercrime and forced scamming.

## Links

- Website: https://www.ijm.org/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/GaryHaugen

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/gary-haugen
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-16