Rani Hong :: Human Rights

Rani’s Biography

Rani Hong is a UN Special Advisor for the Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT) and co-founder and President of the Tronie Foundation. Rani and her husband Trong have won the United Nations Human Rights Award and the City of Seattle’s “Distinguished Citizen Award” for Human Rights.

Rani Hong is a survivor of child trafficking and now co-founder and president of the Tronie Foundation, an organization that is causing a global shift in consciousness and behavior by exposing the human cost of slavery. The Foundation’s primary goal is to mentor survivors of slavery, both to become leaders and to work together with global leaders in the movement to end human trafficking.

In 2010 alone, Rani spoke on behalf of survivors to many prominent leaders in politics, business and philanthropy, including the UN Secretary-General; His Holiness the Dalai Lama; Bollywood actors; entertainment celebrities Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher and Mira Sorvino; First Lady of Egypt Suzanne Mubarak; and Princess Mathilde of Belgium. Recently she was invited as a participant at the inaugural Delhi Dialogue, a summit of humanitarian leaders convened by the Dalai Lama to discuss solutions to human rights suffering.

By sharing her story, Rani has helped international government officials, NGO’s, corporations, philanthropists and journalists understand the circumstances that give rise to the possibility and persistence of slavery. She was the closing speaker at the UN General Assembly’s Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking and has participated in many International Forums.

Her story has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN International, BBC World News and many other international media. Rani is the recipient of many awards, including the 2008 Human Rights Award from the UN Association of Seattle and 2010 Jefferson Award for public service.

On November 2011, Rani was given a special invitation to work with the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT). In this capacity, Rani is working with UN.GIFT to implement a Global Action Plan and to help build and bridge cooperation among all stakeholders to bring an end to human trafficking. Rani believes by working together, we can build a global movement for freedom for today’s slaves.

From Survivor of Slavery to a Global Visionary Human Rights Leader, Rani’s ability to broach this difficult subject in a compelling way, while keeping the focus on the strength of the human spirit, has proved her capability as a leader in this field – evident in both the grassroots outreach and the highest conversations with global leaders.

Rani Hong, along with her husband Trong Hong, who is also a child trafficking survivor, lives in Olympia, WA.