Helena Maleno Garzón is a Spanish-Moroccan journalist, researcher, and human rights defender, best known as the founder and director of Caminando Fronteras (Walking Borders), a transnational organization that protects the rights of migrants and refugees along the Western Euro-African border. Since 2001, she has documented human rights violations at sea and on land, denouncing systemic abuses including pushbacks, disappearances, and gender-based violence. Through her organization’s 24/7 emergency hotline, she has helped rescue services save over 197,000 lives, making her one of the most effective grassroots actors responding to the deadly consequences of Europe’s border policies. 

Despite facing criminalization, surveillance, threats, and an assassination attempt, Maleno continues to be an unrelenting advocate for migrant communities. Her work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the McBride Peace Prize and the Woman of Courage Award from UNANIMA International. She is also the author of Mujer de frontera, a memoir that speaks to the resilience of migrant communities and the urgent need to defend solidarity against criminalization. Her life and work reflect extraordinary courage, compassion, and a fierce commitment to justice.