Renu Mandhane (JD 2001) has been named Ontario’s Human Rights Commissioner. As she takes up her post this fall, she will play a central role in shaping human rights in the province; the Ontario Human Rights Commission develops public policy, conducts public inquiries, and promotes a culture of human rights.
Mandhane has served as director of the Faculty of Law’s International Human Rights Program since 2009. Law students in the award-winning experiential learning program have helped process refugee claims in Nepal, documented the human-rights impact of a pipeline project in Ghana and reported on the 2009 trial of Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar, formerly Burma.
“My work at the international level has impressed upon me how important it is to act locally to ensure sustainable social change,” Mandhane said in a statement. “I am humbled to be provided with an opportunity to take up that challenge.”
Mandhane is “a passionate advocate for freedom of speech and the rights of women,” said Attorney General Madeleine Meilleur. She “will help solidify Ontario’s leadership on human rights.”
Watch: Renu Mandhane, students and friends celebrate 25 years of the International Human Rights Program
Video: University of Toronto Faculty of Law
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