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Following a Zoom campaign, Corinne Dettmeijer-Vermeulen was elected to the committee committee of independent experts that monitors implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Committee) in November 2020.

She immediately joined the Working Group on Communications, first as vice-chair, then as chair.

She also joined the Working Group on Working Methods and has proposed many changes since then. During her tenure on the Committee, she has led four constructive dialogues with several different countries. In 2006, following a successful career in the judiciary, Corinne Dettmeijer-Vermeulen became Dutch National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings by royal appointment.

In 2009 the mandate of the unique institution she leads was broadened to encompass independent reporting on all forms of sexual violence against children. Long before the #MeToo movement,
Prof. Dettmeijer-Vermeulen published data and facts on the epidemic nature of sexual abuse of children.

She has been awarded the honour of Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau and her commitment, dedication and knowledge of human trafficking have been acknowledged nationally and internationally. Prof. Dettmeijer-Vermeulen has produced close to 35 reports on human trafficking and sexual violence against children, presenting the results of quantitative and  qualitative research reflecting national and international perspectives.

In her reports and recommendations on human trafficking she has always stressed the vulnerability of women and children.
Over 80% of her 215 recommendations have been adopted. She has been instrumental in ensuring that the National Referral Mechanism has greatly improved victims’ rights and care. Her vast knowledge of these subjects has greatly benefitted her work as a member of the CEDAW Committee. Prof. Dettmeijer- Vermeulen has succeeded in uncovering the complex and disturbing truth of human exploitation.

For three consecutive years she was listed as one of the 10 most influential women in the Netherlands in the field of justice and public administration. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kailash Satyarthi, actress and humanitarian activist Emma Thompson and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence against Children Marta Santos Pais have all paid tribute to her leadership in the fight against human trafficking and sexual violence against children.

Prof. Dettmeijer-Vermeulen was called as a witness by the UK Parliamentary Committee and presented irrefutable evidence at the Modern Slavery Bill Evidence Review sessions. Additionally, she advocated for compliance with UNESCO’s request to compose an international curriculum on human trafficking for investigative journalism.

She initiated collaboration with UNODC to issue a report on hidden human trafficking in the Netherlands, which used groundbreaking methodology to estimate the population involved and provide more in-depth knowledge of where to target anti-trafficking policy. UNODC has duplicated the methodology in other countries in order to monitor the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal target 16.2.