Anasuya Syam

Anasuya Syam is the human rights and trade policy director at the Human Trafficking Legal Center. She leads the Human Trafficking Legal Center’s initiative on the U.S. Tariff Act and forced labor, with a focus on conducting investigations and submitting petitions under the Tariff Act. 

Syam works with pro bono counsel, civil society groups, government, business, and other stakeholders to push for greater accountability through the enforcement of the Tariff Act import prohibition. She is the co-author of the practice guide Importing Freedom: Using the U.S. Tariff Act to Combat Forced Labor in Supply Chains, which provides advocates with the nuts and bolts of using the Tariff Act to halt goods made using forced labor from entering the United States. The guide has been translated into four languages. Syam has also published multiple op-eds and articles on the Tariff Act and forced labor. She chairs a coalition of NGOs working to enhance impact of import bans in addressing forced labor.

Prior to the Human Trafficking Legal Center, Syam worked as a legal fellow at the World Bank with a focus on anti-corruption and corporate governance. She also previously worked as a corporate counsel in India. Syam received her bachelor’s in law, with honors, from the National University of Advanced Legal Studies in India, and graduated with a master’s degree in international law from NYU School of Law.