Simon Henderson

Simon Henderson is Deputy Asia Director at Human Rights Watch, overseeing work across East Asia. He joined Human Rights Watch in 2024 and is based out of Tokyo, Japan. Simon has more than 16 years of experience in human rights, international law, diplomacy, and public policy work.

Prior to joining Human Rights Watch, Simon worked as Head of Policy at Save the Children Australia, based initially out of Sydney and then Tokyo, where he led policy and advocacy responses on development, humanitarian, and child rights issues. Before working at Save the Children, he was Senior Policy Advisor at Justice Centre Hong Kong. Simon established and led the Hong Kong Universal Periodic Review Coalition, an alliance of over 45 NGOs focused on holding the Hong Kong government accountable to its human rights law obligations.

Simon’s other previous roles include at the Law Council of Australia, in the Australian government within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Human Rights in China. He is a Visiting Lecturer at The University of Tokyo and The Education University of Hong Kong. Simon also sits on the human rights committees of the Law Society of New South Wales and LAWASIA.

Simon holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Laws, and Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from The Australian National University, and a Master of Laws in International Law from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University. He is admitted as a lawyer to the High Court of Australia and the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory.