Sunitha Krishnan is a well-known Indian social activist dedicated to fighting human trafficking. She is known for helping rape victims and their children recover.
Wiki/Biography
Sunitha was born on Friday, May 23, 1969, in Mumbai (50 years old; as of 2019). Her zodiac sign is Gemini. She completed her education from Kendriya Vidyalaya Waltair, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Later, she joined St. Joseph’s College, Bangalore and Yenepoya University, Mangalore, Karnataka to complete her Masters and PhD in Social Work.
family, caste and husband
She was born in Palakkad Malayali family. Her father’s name is “Raju Krishnan” who worked in the Survey Department of India and her mother’s name is “Nalini Krishnan”. She is married to Indian film director “Rajesh Touchriver”.
Sunitha Krishnan and her father
Sunitha Krishnan and her husband
Profession
She has been determined to benefit society since she was a child. At the age of eight, she began dance training for mentally retarded children, and four years later she opened a small school to teach children from the slums. An incident changed her life at the age of 15, when she was working in a new literacy camp for the Dalit society. Eight men brutally raped her and beat her, leaving her partially deaf for a year. Although Sunitha was heartbroken after the incident, she gathered all her energy and used the incident as a source of motivation. She started working for the welfare of women; especially rape victims in India. Her parents were not happy with her lifestyle and hence, she decided to move to Hyderabad and join the People’s Initiative Network (PIN) in Hyderabad. The institution was founded by Brother Varghese Theckanath, a member of the Montfort Brothers of St. Gabriel and a social activist himself.
Old photos of Sunitha Krishnan and Brother Varghese Theckanath
In 1996, Sunitha helped evacuate prostitutes from Mehboob ki Mehandi, Hyderabad’s red-light district, and provided them with employment opportunities. She also opened a school in the evacuated brothels. Later, the school was named ‘Prajwala’ and it was based on five pillars: Prevention, Protection, Rescue, Rehabilitation and Reintegration. Her nonprofit has helped more than 12,000 victims of prostitution evacuate and start a new life. Prajwala also helps the children of these victims get education to provide them with a better future. Survivors were trained in carpentry, welding, printing, masonry and housekeeping.
Sunitha Krishnan with children from her school
In 2003, she drafted some recommendations for the rehabilitation of victims of human trafficking, which were adopted by the Andhra Pradesh government as the “Rescue and Rehabilitation Policy for Victims of Human Trafficking”. Her talk on human trafficking at the official TED India conference at the Infosys campus in Mysore in 2009 attracted widespread attention (available on TED India’s YouTube channel). In 2011, she was given the opportunity to serve as a government advisor to draft the Nirbhaya policy for women and children in Kerala, but she later resigned in 2014; as she was not satisfied with the way they were working. She was later reappointed in 2015 and given more decision-making powers.
She has organized workshops at the national and international levels to educate people more about human trafficking. In 2012, she was invited to the Star Plus show Satyaev Jayate (hosted by Aamir Khan), where she talked about her non-profit organization “Prajwala”. Sunitha and her husband have produced several documentaries on human trafficking, HIV, AIDS, Sheikh Marriage, incest and prostitution. She has published several books on the same topic. In 2013, the Andhra Pradesh Women’s Commission appointed her to draft India’s new rape bill. She works with the Crisis Counseling Center at Afzalganj Police Station in Hyderabad to stop human trafficking. She revealed in an interview that her journey has not been easy as she has faced life-threatening attacks and threatening messages to help rape victims.
Sunitha Krishnan as Satyamev Jayate
dispute
Her “#ShameTheRapist” campaign, which saw people sharing rape videos on WhatsApp, was criticized by parts of society.
Awards and Honors
- Stree Shakti Puraskar, Government of India, 2003.
- CNN-IBN Real Heroes Award, Reliance Foundation, 2008.
- U.S. Department of State Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Reporting Heroes, 2009.
- Tejaswini Award, FICCI, 2010.
- Human Rights Award, Vital Voices Global Partnership, Washington, DC, 2011
- Godfrey Phillips National Amoudini Award, 2013.
- Mahila Thilakam Award, Government of Kerala, 2013.
- Women of Distinction Award, National Council on Women, 2013.
- Mother Teresa Social Justice Award, 2014
- 2014 Person of the Year Award from LIMCA Book of Records.
- Padma Shri in Social Work, 2016.
Sunitha Krishnan wins Padma Shri Award
- Franco-German Human Rights and Rule of Law Award, 2017
Note: She has also received many awards and honors.
address
20-4-34, III Floor, Behind Charminar Bus Stand, Charminar, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
Facts/Trivia
- She was born with a disability and her legs were turned backwards, but after regular physical therapy, she was able to walk normally.
- During the inception of her organization ‘Prajwala’ she faced a financial crisis and had to sell her jewelery and utensils.
- The film “Anamika” was co-produced by Sunitha and was part of the National Police Academy curriculum in Hyderabad; while another film “Naa Bangaaru Talli” won 3 National Awards in 2014.
- In 2015, she started the #ShameTheRapist campaign after her landlord asked her to relocate a financial rehabilitation center in Hyderabad, which she crowdfunded from goCrowdera.com and raised more than $225,000.
- In 2019, Sunitha appeared in the “Karmaveer” episode (October 18, 2019) of Kaun Banega Crorepati 11 (2019) along with her husband Rajesh Touchriver.
#KBC11
It’s time to speak out against the evils of society. Watch our #KBCKaramveer Sunitha Krishnan on Sony Prajwala Prajwala Dr.Sunitha Krishnan shares her views on the status of women in current times this Friday at 9 pm
Sony Entertainment Television June 2019
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education