Isabel da Costa Ferreira started her professional career always very much linked to issues of human rights and actively denounced violations committed during the period of Indonesian military occupation. For this reason, in 1998 and 1999, she worked as the General Coordinator of the NGO "Kontras Timor-Timur” and Director of the Commission of Human Rights Timor-Loro Sa'e (CDHTL) in 1999-2001.