Who we are

We are a network of organisations working
to ensure social justice
and human rights for undocumented migrants.

What we want

We seek a world where human mobility is recognised as a normal reality, and where all people are guaranteed their human rights and have a dignified standard of living, regardless of migration status.

How we work

With our network and partners, we research and advocate for evidence-based, holistic and humane responses to the realities of undocumented migrants and to people who want to come to Europe to work or for other reasons. We provide a platform to engage policy-makers and the public at the international, European, national, and local levels.

Our work is grounded in principles and values of social justice, anti-racism and equality.

We apply an intersectional lens to our work, recognising overlapping systems of oppression that affect people with insecure residence status, and are committed to strengthening participation of people with lived experience in our work.”

© Katja Tähjä
Michele LeVoy Director

Michele LeVoy

Director

As Director of PICUM, Michele has led the organization for nearly two decades in advocating for undocumented migrants’ human rights towards European and global institutions. Michele has played a key role as board member for several civil society organisations at the global and EU levels. She holds degrees in French, Justice and Peace Studies and a Master in Applied Sciences (Housing and Development).

Languages: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish as well as some Dutch and Italian.

Anaïs Faure Atger Deputy Director

Anaïs Faure Atger

Deputy Director

Anaïs joined PICUM in November 2024. Before that, she was supporting the migration related work of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement in Europe and in the Americas. She has also been involved in policy-oriented research within the Brussels-based EU think tank CEPS. She holds a BA in law and a master’s degree in human rights and humanitarian aid and law.

Languages: French, English, Spanish and German

Paul Geeraerts Financial Director

Paul Geeraerts

Financial Director

Paul joined PICUM in 2010. He previously worked in finance and administration for Avocats sans Frontières, the Planned Parenthood Federation and Warner-Lambert. He holds a degree in accounting and fiscal law.

Languages: Dutch, French and English

Orsolya Nemeth-Kilinc Project and Finance Officer

Orsolya Nemeth-Kilinc

Project and Finance Officer

Orsolya joined PICUM in June 2023. She previously worked in finance and administration for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Hungary and Malta. She holds degrees in International Business Administration and Masters in International Relations and Cultural Studies.

Languages: English, French, Hungarian, Turkish

Lilana Keith Senior Advocacy Officer
Labour rights and labour migration

Lilana Keith

Senior Advocacy OfficerLabour rights and labour migration

Lilana joined PICUM in 2011. She has been involved in work to advance migrants’ rights since 2009, including through community development and funding. She has an academic background in international and European migration law and policy and anthropology. She is Vice-Chair of the Board of Statewatch.

Languages: English, French

Rahul Chawla Advocacy Officer
Labour rights and labour migration

Rahul Chawla

Advocacy OfficerLabour rights and labour migration

Maternity leave cover

Rahul joined PICUM in 2025 following a stint in communications with the Left in the European Parliament. Prior to this, he worked on transport, connectivity, mobility, and content development at the Africa-Europe Foundation, and on EU-China relations at Friends of Europe. He holds an MSc in economics with a focus on labour market effects on migration, and a B.A in English and French, and is active in anti-racist and labour organising.

Languages: English, French, some Punjabi and Hindi.

Laetitia Van der Vennet Senior Advocacy Officer
Children, Families and Youth
Regularisation

Laetitia Van der Vennet

Senior Advocacy OfficerChildren, Families and YouthRegularisation
Laetitia joined PICUM in 2019. She has worked on human rights and migration on the national and global level since 2010. Laetitia has degrees in psychology, anthropology and conflict and development studies and was a Rotary Peace Fellow at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, and a Munk Fellow in Global Journalism at the University of Toronto, Canada.

Languages: English, French, Dutch

Marta Gionco Senior Advocacy Officer
Migration Policy

Marta Gionco

Senior Advocacy OfficerMigration Policy

Currently on leave

Marta joined PICUM in 2019. She previously worked on migration and access to social protection for the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and on human rights defenders protection for the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). She holds a Master in Laws and a MSc in Migration, Mobility and Development.

Languages: English, French, Spanish, Italian

Garyfallia Mylona Advocacy Officer
Migration Policy

Garyfallia Mylona

Advocacy OfficerMigration Policy

Maternity leave cover

Garyfallia joined PICUM in March 2025. She has experience in human rights and humanitarian advocacy, legal representation, and research, with a focus on migration and asylum. She has worked across diverse contexts both within and outside the EU, engaging at grassroots and international levels. She has a legal background, with a specialisation in international and EU law.

Languages: Greek, English, French

Louise Bonneau Advocacy Officer
Access to Justice, Racial Equality and Health

Louise Bonneau

Advocacy OfficerAccess to Justice, Racial Equality and Health

Louise joined PICUM in January 2023. She has worked for the European Commission and various civil society organisations in the field of human rights and social inclusion of persons with disabilities, people with a migrant and Roma background, and children. She holds an MSc and LLM in migration and asylum.

Languages: English, French and Dutch

Silvia Carta Advocacy Officer

Silvia Carta

Advocacy Officer

Silvia joined PICUM in October 2022. She previously worked on migration and asylum policy in a Brussels-based think tank, at the European Parliament, and at the UN Refugee Agency. She has a background in International Relations and Human Rights Governance, and she holds an LL.M. in EU Law.

Languages: Italian, English and French

Chiara Catelli Advocacy and Project Officer

Chiara Catelli

Advocacy and Project Officer

Chiara joined PICUM in May 2022. She previously worked on asylum, migration and human rights policy at the European Council on Refugees and Exiles, the European Parliament, the European Commission and the UN Refugee Agency. She has a background in Political Science and International Relations, including a Master Degree in Conflicts and Development.

Languages: Italian, French, English and some Spanish

Imanol Legarda Project Officer

Imanol Legarda

Project Officer

Imanol joined PICUM in 2023. He previously worked for Human Rights organizations in different countries, mostly on migration and gender and sexual diversity. His academic background focuses on communication and international cooperation.

Languages: Basque, Spanish, English, Italian and some French and German.

Samia Bakkal Advocacy Trainee

Samia Bakkal

Advocacy Trainee

Samia joined PICUM in March 2025. She worked in grassroot social justice initiatives, mainly focusing on anti-racism, and on the political participation of people with migration and Roma background. She holds a Master’s degree in Migration Studies, with specific focus on human mobility in the Mediterranean, and on the intersection of racialization and class-based discrimination.

Languages: Italian, Arabic, English, French, Spanish and basic Catalan

Hasna Belachqr Advocacy Trainee

Hasna Belachqr

Advocacy Trainee

Hasna recently joined PICUM following her Master’s degrees in International and European Law, and Conflict and Development. Throughout her studies, she developed a strong interest in the criminalisation of migration and undocumented migration. She also has experience in community building and is a firm believer in the power of change through community.

Languages: Dutch, Tachelhit, English, French, and some Arabic

Gianluca Cesaro Senior Communications Officer

Gianluca Cesaro

Senior Communications Officer

Gianluca joined PICUM in 2019. He previously worked in campaigns and communications for Fair Trials, and other Brussels-based NGOs. Gianluca has an academic background in political and social sciences, including a Master Degree in Human Rights.

Languages: Italian, English, French.

Chloë Bouvier Multimedia Officer

Chloë Bouvier

Multimedia Officer

Currently on leave

Chloë joined PICUM in 2020. She previously worked in the communications team for the European Development Days (EDD) 2019. She also has experiences in organising and promoting cultural events. Chloë holds a Master’s degree in Communications.

Languages: English, French, and some Spanish.

Liliana Almeida
Liliana Almeida Multimedia Officer
Liliana Almeida

Liliana Almeida

Multimedia Officer

Maternity leave cover

Liliana recently joined PICUM following an internship in communications with a UK-based peacebuilding NGO. She holds a BA in International Relations and a MSc in Crisis Management and Peacebuilding. Her interests span international migration, cooperation, and conflict resolution, and her experience includes working with a Stockholm-based institute dedicated to peace research and the Portuguese diplomatic mission in Paris.

Languages: Portuguese, English and some Spanish and Swedish.

Irene Subiri Administration and Events Manager

Irene Subiri

Administration and Events Manager

Currently on leave

Irene joined PICUM in July 2018. She previously worked in IT companies leading projects of implementation & integration of online solutions, events management and also volunteered in marketing & online strategies in RDT India. Irene studied Business & Management of Touristic Companies and holds a master in Events Management.

Languages: Spanish and English

Lian Martínez Moya Interim Administration and Events Manager

Lian Martínez Moya

Interim Administration and Events Manager

Temporary cover

Lian has joined PICUM in March 2024 following her traineeship at the European Commission and previous experiences in European project management for non-profit organisations in the educational innovation and social inclusion fields. She holds a BA in International Relations and a MA in Human Rights and Democratisation, which combined with her artistic background in performing arts has led her to have a profound interest in the intersection between advocacy and arts, creativity, and culture in the quest for social justice.

Languages: Catalan, Spanish, English and a bit of French, Italian, and German.

Jalal Hdidi Communications and Events Trainee

Jalal Hdidi

Communications and Events Trainee

Jalal recently joined PICUM following extensive experience in international event management. He holds a Master’s degree in Global Politics and International Relations and has a strong background in language mediation and international cooperation. His experience includes working as an Account Manager in the entertainment industry, supporting global clients, as well as contributing to cultural and diplomatic initiatives at Expo 2020 Dubai. His interests span migration, international relations, and cross-cultural communication.

Languages: Italian, Arabic, English, French, Spanish, some German, and some Dutch.

Jan Knockaert Chair

Jan Knockaert

Chair

Jan Knockaert is the Director of FAIRWORK Belgium. The organisation advocates for the rights of migrant workers with a precarious residence status, and supports them through providing information about their rights, and assisting them in enforcing these rights.

Teresa De Gasperis Board Member

Teresa De Gasperis

Board Member

Teresa De Gasperis is Coordinator of Alliances and International Relations at the Spanish NGO Accem. She has expertise in coordinating and implementing actions on research, capacity building, advocacy, awareness-raising, direct assistance and partnership with relevant stakeholders in the fields of migration, asylum, human trafficking, unaccompanied migrant children, and non-discrimination.

Magda Faltová Board Member

Magda Faltová

Board Member

Magda Faltová is the Director of the Association for Integration and Migration (SIMI) in Czechia. SIMI provides free legal, social and psychological counselling to migrants and engages with the general public to promote tolerance and fight xenophobia and racism.

András Kováts Board Member

András Kováts

Board Member

András Kováts is the Director of Menedék, the Hungarian Association for Migrants. Menedék promotes the social integration of migrants and refugees in Hungary, organises trainings for professionals who deal with migrants in the course of their work, and leads various educational and cultural projects to build a bridge between migrants and the general public in order to foster tolerance.

Nazek Ramadan Board Member

Nazek Ramadan

Board Member

Nazek Ramadan is the Executive Director of Migrant Voice. From a migrant background herself, she has over 30 years of experience working with migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and ethnic minorities in the UK focusing on promoting their voice and representation in the media and on policy platforms.

Moussa Sangaré Board Member

Moussa Sangaré

Board Member

Moussa Sangaré is the President and coordinator of the Ivorian community in Greece. Board member at the Greek Forum of Refugees, a network supporting refugees, migrants, stateless persons and asylum seekers based in  Greece. He is a passionate advocate for human rights and justice, aiming to raise refugees’ and migrants’ voices at the local, national and international levels.

Adam Weiss Board Member

Adam Weiss

Board Member

Adam Weiss is Head of Oceans at the environmental NGO ClientEarth, working with teams fighting overfishing, useless plastic, and chemical pollution. He is an experienced litigator, having worked with NGOs (including the AIRE Centre and the European Roma Rights Centre) to uphold migrants’ rights and the rights of ethnic minorities under the European Convention on Human Rights and EU law. He is also on the board of FLEX (Focus on Labour Exploitation).

Rubén Romero Board Member

Rubén Romero

Board Member

Rubén Romero is Head of Advocacy and Alliances at the Cepaim Foundation, a social entity with presence in Spain, Morocco and Senegal, and recognized with ECOSOC consultative status at the UN. He is a lawyer with over 10 years of experience in human rights, focusing on migration, international protection, and statelessness. He holds multiple Master’s degrees and a PhD in Human Rights, Democracy, and International Justice. Additionally, he is a Peer Reviewer for the UN Migration Network Hub and an external expert for the EUAA. He has authored several publications on political participation, human rights advocacy, and combating racism and xenophobia.

Louma Albik Board Member

Louma Albik

Board Member

Louma is based in Belgium and the Middle East and has over 20 years of experience in humanitarian work and NGO leadership. As the founder of SB Overseas, she has supported over 400,000 families and advised organisations like the International Organization for Migration. She holds a master’s degree in leadership and management from the University of Cambridge, and one in political science from the Université libre de Bruxelles. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Sustainable Labour Market Integration. Louma is deeply committed to creating sustainable, inclusive solutions that empower vulnerable communities.

Matti Wirehag Board Member

Matti Wirehag

Board Member

Matti wirehag works as a reseracher at the University of Gothenburg, and is a longterm boardmember of Rosengrenska stiftelsen, which is also member of PICUM. Matti Wirehag has expertise in research and policy on homelessness and undocumented migrants.

Lucy Polo Castillo Board Member

Lucy Polo Castillo

Board Member

Lucy Polo is a psychologist and joined PICUM in 2012. For several years she directed the Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar Regional Atlántico. In 2010, Lucy graduated in Law, Immigration and Interculturality from the University of Valencia, Spain, and since 2009 she has been president of the association Por Ti Mujer, an NGO that works for the rights of immigrant women and against gender-based violence. She is currently president of the Latin American and Caribbean Women’s Network.

PICUM has 160 members
who work on ensuring
human rights of
undocumented migrants.

More about our members

Funders

We receive financial contributions from a variety of supporters to be able to operate. These include private foundations, international organisations and member organisations. Our members contribute to its funding through the payment of membership fees. We also receive generous in-kind contributions and pro bono advice from a variety of professionals.