Miatta Paula Thomas is the Executive Director at Allies in Development, a nonprofit organization in Sierra Leone working to end violence against women and girls. With over seven years of experience in women’s rights and child protection, she has led her organization to reach over 15,000 women, girls, and families through violence prevention education, relationship and sex education, positive parenting programs and support services for survivors of sexual abuse. Miatta is also an experienced social worker, policy analyst, and social protection specialist. She is a member of the Every Woman Coalition, a global network of over 2,000 women’s rights activists and 840 organizations across 128 nations, advocating for a new Optional Protocol to CEDAW to end violence against women and girls.