Malika Saada Saar

Malika Saada Saar’s Biography

Malika Saada Saar is a human rights lawyer and Senior Counsel on Civil and Human Rights for Google. She has dedicated her professional and personal lives to advocating for and protecting victims of sex trafficking, domestic abuse, and gender-based violence.

As Executive Director of The Rebecca Project, which she co-founded, Malika led a successful campaign urging legislators to pressure Craigslist to close its adult services section, a leading platform for child sex trafficking. She also successfully advocated for millions in federal funding for treatment services for at-risk families and ended the federal practice of shackling pregnant mothers behind bars in US prisons.

Malika is Founder and former Executive Director of the Human Rights Project for Girls (Rights4Girls), a human rights organization focused on gender-based violence against young women and girls. She also served as Special Counsel on Human Rights at The Raben Group and in 2010 had the honor of being selected by the Obama Administration to serve on the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. Currently, Malika serves... Malika Saada Saar is a human rights lawyer and Senior Counsel on Civil and Human Rights for Google. She has dedicated her professional and personal lives to advocating for and protecting victims of sex trafficking, domestic abuse, and gender-based violence.

As Executive Director of The Rebecca Project, which she co-founded, Malika led a successful campaign urging legislators to pressure Craigslist to close its adult services section, a leading platform for child sex trafficking. She also successfully advocated for millions in federal funding for treatment services for at-risk families and ended the federal practice of shackling pregnant mothers behind bars in US prisons.

Malika is Founder and former Executive Director of the Human Rights Project for Girls (Rights4Girls), a human rights organization focused on gender-based violence against young women and girls. She also served as Special Counsel on Human Rights at The Raben Group and in 2010 had the honor of being selected by the Obama Administration to serve on the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. Currently, Malika serves on the Boards of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Human Rights and Essie Justice Group. For her work, she has received widespread recognition. She was awarded the Al Filipov Peace and Justice Award and named one of “150 Women Who Shake the World” by Newsweek and the Daily Beast. In addition, The Rebecca Project was honored with the Leadership for Changing World award by the The Ford Foundation.

Malika holds a BA from Brown University, an MA in Education from Stanford University, and a JD from Georgetown University. She has been honored with the Roger Williams Award, Brown University’s highest alumni award, and by Georgetown Law Center's esteemed Robert F. Drinan Award for Public Service. more less

Malika Saada Saar’s Newsfeed

Brown Political Review

Big Tech’s Role in Protecting Human Rights: An Interview with Malika Saada Saar

Malika Saada Saar discusses her long career, from her founding of the Human Rights Project for Girls to her service on the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, and to her current work as YouTube’s Global Head of Human Rights Partnerships.

Malika Saada Saar’s Background

Google

Global Head of Human Rights | YouTube

Aug 2020 - Present

Washington, DC, USA

As Global Head of Human Rights, Malika leads the platform’s efforts in working alongside activists, nonprofits and external partners to advance human rights issues, including in the areas of criminal justice reform, gender equality and racial justice.

Google

Senior Counsel on Civil & Human Rights

Dec 2015 - Aug 2020

Washington, DC, USA

Google is a multinational, publicly-traded organization built around the company's search engine. Google's other enterprises include internet analytics, cloud computing, advertising technologies and web app, browser and operating system development.

The Raben Group

Special Counsel on Human Rights

Feb 2013 - Dec 2015

Washington, DC, USA

The Raben Group is a national public affairs and strategic communications firm committed to making connections, solving problems and inspiring change across the corporate, nonprofit, foundation and government sectors.

Rights4Girls

Founder & Executive Director

Dec 2011 - Dec 2015

Washington, DC, USA

Rights4Girls is a human rights organization which is dedicated to ending gender-based violence against girls and young women in the US. Rights4Girls works to change the policies that allow girls to be criminalized when they are victimized and advocate to provide girls and young women with support and safety.

The Rebecca Project for Justice

Co-Founder & Executive Director

Jan 2001 - Dec 2011

Washington, DC, USA

The Rebecca Project for Justice is a transformational organization that advocates protecting life, dignity and freedom for people in Africa and the United States.

Family Rights & Dignity Program

Founder

1993 - 1998

San Francisco, CA, USA

Malika founded the Family Rights and Dignity Program, an initiative that focused on homeless women and families in the Bay Area.

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Current Board Positions

The George Foster Peabody Awards

Board of Directors

Athens, GA, USA

The Peabody Awards spotlight programs that demonstrate how media can defend the public interest, encourage empathy with others, and teach us to expand our understanding of the world around us.

Philanthropy

Echoing Green

Global Fellow

1995 - Present

New York, NY, USA

Echoing Green identifies tomorrow’s transformational leaders today. Through its Fellowships and other innovative leadership initiatives, Echoing Green spots emerging leaders and invests deeply in their success to accelerate their impact.

RFK / Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights

Board of Directors

New York, NY, USA

Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, founded in 1968, is led by human rights activist and lawyer Kerry Kennedy and advocates for a more just and peaceful world. Working alongside local activists to ensure lasting positive change in governments and corporations, the RFK team includes leading attorneys, advocates, entrepreneurs and writers united by a commitment to social justice.

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Awards & Recognition

Brown University

Roger Williams Award

Providence, RI, USA

The Brown Alumni Association established the William Rogers Award in 1984 to recognize an outstanding alumna or alumnus whose service to society in general is representative of the words of the Brown Charter: living a life “of usefulness and reputation.” It recognizes important contributions to humankind made by Brown alumni throughout the world.

Georgetown University Law Center

Robert F. Drinan, S.J. Law Alumni Public Service Award

Washington, DC, USA

The Georgetown University Law Center was established in 1870. It is one of the professional graduate schools of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and the second largest law school in the United States.