Dr. Marcel van der Watt
Marcel is a lecturer and researcher. He was a member of the South African Police Service for 10 years where he worked as hostage negotiator and investigator attached to the Hawks and Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit. Marcel gained international recognition for his work in counter-trafficking and received numerous awards and commendations for the investigation of crime, including a position in the YPIA Top 35 under 35 Africans for 2014. Marcel provides assistance in on-going investigations and intelligence-gathering activities, and his roles include that of Research Director for the Global Resources Epicentre against Human Trafficking (GREAT); Case Consultant for the National Freedom Network (NFN); and expert witness on issues related to control methods, modus operandi and sentencing considerations in human trafficking cases. He has completed his PhD (Criminal Justice) on the crime of human trafficking.