Innocentia APOVO MONTEIRO, International Senior Expert in countering Trafficking in Human Beings and child exploitation.

Prior to taking on the role of Head of the National Central Bureau in Cotonou, in August 2021, Innocentia was the Coordinator of the Trafficking in Human Beings Unit within Interpol where she coordinated all the activities of the organization with its 194 member countries.

Chief Superintendent of Police from Republic of Benin, she is the former Director of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit in Benin.

She is bilingual (French and English) and is Beginner in Spanish. She holds two Masters in international criminal Law and international Law of Human Rights.

With more than 10 years’ experience in working on Trafficking in Human Beings and Child exploitation, she conducted several national, regional and international investigations and operations on this crime areas from which many victims were rescued and several suspected traffickers arrested.

She coordinated in November 2017 the operation EPERVIER organized in five countries in the Sahel region and more recently, last August, the operation SAWIYAN in Sudan, where about 100 victims were rescued and 14 suspected traffickers arrested. She is currently preparing new operations to dismantle the OCGs and rescue some victims.