| Triveni Acharya | |
|---|---|
| Residence | Mumbai |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Organization | Rescue Foundation |
| Awards | Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award (2010) Civil Courage Prize (2011) |
Triveni Acharya is an Indian journalist and activist living in Mumbai, best known for her work with the anti-sex-trafficking group the Rescue Foundation.
The group was originally founded by her husband, Balkrishna Acharya, but Triveni Acharya assumed its presidency following his death in a car accident in 2005.[1] The organization is devoted to the "rescue, rehabilitation and repatriation of victims for human trafficking from different parts of India, Nepal & Bangladesh and sold for forced prostitution",[2] and has been conducting "brothel raids" since 1993.[3] The organization frees roughly 300 girls a year, and also provides counseling, job training, and HIV testing.[4] Because these raids often result in serious financial loss or imprisonment for sex traffickers, Acharya has received several death threats as the result of her work.[5]
The Rescue Foundation has received several national and international awards for its work under Acharya's presidency. In 2008, the group received a Stree Shakti Award for Women Entrepreneurs.[6] Taiwanese president Ma Ying-Jeou presented the Acharya the Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, along with a cash grant of US$100,000;[4] the organization had been nominated for the award by a former trafficking victim saved by the Foundation.[7] In 2011, Acharya herself won the Civil Courage Prize of The Train Foundation, awarded annually to those who "who resolutely combat evil".[8] She shared the prize with Lydia Cacho Ribeiro, a Mexican journalist also awarded for her efforts against "sex trafficking, domestic violence and child pornography".[9]
References [edit]
- ^ "About Us". Rescue Foundation. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
- ^ "Welcome to Rescue Foundation". Rescue Foundation. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
- ^ Mallika Kapur (2011). "Bound cruelly to their work". The Hindu Business Line. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
- ^ a b "Indian NGO wins accolades". Hindustan Times. 10 December 2010. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
- ^ "Triveni Acharya, Civil Courage Prize Honoree 2011". Civil Courage Prize. 2011. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
- ^ "A woman-friendly step, says Sonia". The Hindu. 9 March 2008. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
- ^ Flora Wang (9 November 2010). "Rescue Foundation wins this year’s rights award". Taipei Times. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
- ^ "About the Prize". Civil Courage Prize. 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
- ^ "2011 Civil Courage Prize Honoree". civilcourageprize.org. October 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
External links [edit]
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