Thehoya Dy

Since 2015, Thehoya Dy (he/him) has been promoting and protecting the rights of migrant workers as the Head of Anti-Human Trafficking and Migration at the Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights (CENTRAL) in Cambodia.

At CENTRAL, Hoya leads the organization’s efforts in coordinating the rescue, repatriation and integration of victims of exploitation and trafficking from foreign territories. He and his colleagues provide legal consultation and safe-migration guidance to migrant workers and stakeholders. They promote awareness about the dangers of high-risk migration in collaboration with NGO partners and the local authorities, especially through forums aimed at educating rural communities. They empower and organize Cambodian migrant workers abroad, especially in Thailand and Malaysia, through the formation of worker networks to protect their rights and through fostering ownership through training sessions. Hoya serves as the organization’s primary media contact for migrant worker issues, and participates in key organizational decision-making, strategy initiation and development. He has contributed to the formulation of national policies and mechanisms aimed at safeguarding migrant workers' rights.

A former monk, Hoya earned a political science degree from Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. While at university, he was a radio program producer and moderator. From 2008 to 2012, he worked for the Working Group for Peace where he coordinated a consortium of 30 NGOs in Cambodia to build peace with Thailand. From 2012 to 2015, Hoya worked for the Community Legal Education Center as an online radio producer and migration officer focused on promotion of the rights of land activists and laborers.

Hoya is a participant in the 2024-25 Human Rights Advocates Program at the Institute for the Study of Human Rights at Columbia University.