JoAnn Meloche is a Canadian lawyer specializing in representing victims of sexual assault and human trafficking. With expertise in crime scene investigation and advocacy, she has engaged in international capacity development training judges, prosecutors, lawyers, and investigators in Panama and Mexico. Additionally, she led a project to enhance the Egyptian Public Prosecutors’ capacity to address gender-based crimes.
As a Canadian Technical Advisor for the Technical Assistance Partnership – Expert Deployment Mechanism initiative, JoAnn collaborates with the Government of Ecuador on strengthening the capacity of experts at the Comprehensive Assessment Attention Unit (UAPI) in the Attorney General’s Office, integrating a gender-based perspective and considering various social categories defining an individual. Her role includes providing recommendations based on international standards, best practices, and lessons learned in trauma-informed investigations and prosecutions.
JoAnn began her career as a prosecutor in Ontario, specializing in domestic and sexual violence after earning her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Ottawa. She later served as the first Director of Public Prosecutions in the Turks and Caicos Islands. As a visiting professor at Bond University in Australia, she taught Canadian Administrative Law and Human Rights Law.