Amihan Abueva (Regional Executive Director) has been known internationally as a child rights advocate for the past twenty years. She has contributed to the mainstreaming of concerns for child protection, especially in strengthening the national and international legal framework to ensure that children are protected from any form of violence, particularly trafficking and sexual exploitation.

Amihan was the Regional Coordinator of Asia Against Child Trafficking (Asia ACTs), a network of NGOs in Southeast Asia advancing the rights of children, especially those trafficked and on the move. She also worked as Executive Secretary of End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography, and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes International (ECPAT International) and later as the Project Director of its Young People’s Participation Project. ECPAT International is now a network functioning in more than 70 countries worldwide. Amihan became President of ECPAT International from 2005 – 2008. She is president of ECPAT Philippines from 2008 up to the present.

In September 2008, Amihan was the first recipient of the Wilberforce Leadership Award given by the US-based organization Free the Slaves. It is an award given to an individual who has moved a major institution, government, business or large groups of people to significant action in fighting slavery. During the same year, Amihan also received the Gawad Lagablab, an award given to outstanding alumni of the Philippine Science High School, and Outstanding Alumni Award from the University of the Philippines Elementary School.

From 2012 to 2014, Amihan was the Philippine representative to the ASEAN Commission on the Rights of Women and Children. She was also appointed as a NGO Representative of the Children Sector to the Philippines Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT).

Throughout her experience, Amihan demonstrated that NGOs can work hand-in-hand with government to achieve a common goal by actively participating in different government-led efforts and activities concerning children.

Amihan has been leading CRC Asia as Regional Executive Director since 2015.