Shantha Rau Barriga is the Deputy Executive Director at WITNESS, an organization that helps people use video and technology to defend human rights. Previously, Shantha was the Founding Director of the disability rights division at Human Rights Watch, where she oversaw research and advocacy on the rights of people with disabilities and older people around the world. She also served as interim co-Deputy Executive Director and head of the Brussels office of Human Rights Watch. Shantha has authored numerous reports, essays and commentaries, and has extensive media experience. Her talk on how to end stigma against people with disabilities is featured on TED. Shantha received degrees from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and the University of Michigan and was a Fulbright Scholar to Austria.
