Sunitha Krishnan facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Sunitha Krishnan

Born	1972 (age 52–53) Bangalore, India
Alma mater	St. Joseph's College, Bangalore, Roshini Nilaya
Occupation	Founder of Prajwala, Hyderabad
Known for	Social activism
Spouse(s)	Rajesh Touchriver

Sunitha Krishnan (born 1972) is an Indian social activist. She is a main leader and co-founder of Prajwala, an organization that helps people who have been forced into difficult situations. Prajwala rescues these individuals, helps them recover, and supports them in rejoining society. In 2016, she received the Padma Shri, which is India's fourth highest award for civilians.

Sunitha Krishnan's Early Life
Sunitha Krishnan's Career
Facing Challenges
Awards and Recognition
See also

Sunitha Krishnan's Early Life

Krishnan was born in Bangalore, India. Her parents, Raju Krishnan and Nalini Krishnan, were from Palakkad. She traveled a lot around India with her father, who worked for the Department of Survey, which creates maps for the whole country.

Discovering a Passion for Helping

Sunitha's interest in social work began when she was very young. At eight years old, she started teaching dance to children with special needs. By the time she was twelve, she was running schools in poor areas for children who didn't have many opportunities.

A Difficult Experience and Stronger Resolve

When she was fifteen, while working on a project to help the Dalit community learn to read, Sunitha faced a serious attack. Some people didn't like that a woman was helping in what they saw as a "man's world." They hurt her badly, causing her to be partly deaf in one ear. This difficult experience made her even more determined to fight for justice and help those in need.

Education and Learning

Sunitha went to Central Government Schools in Bangalore and Bhutan. She earned a bachelor's degree in environmental sciences from St. Joseph's College in Bangalore. Later, she completed her master's degree in social work (MSW) at the School of Social Work Roshni Nilaya in Mangalore.

Sunitha Krishnan's Career

Sunitha decided to move to Hyderabad to work as a coordinator for a program helping young women. She quickly became involved in helping people living in slums with their housing problems. When homes near the Musi River were going to be destroyed for a city improvement project, she joined a campaign to protect housing rights. She organized protests and stopped the plan. In Hyderabad, she met Brother Jose Vetticatil, who helped young people at risk by teaching them useful skills. This meeting happened in 1996.

Starting Prajwala

In 1996, many women who were forced into difficult situations in Hyderabad were left without homes. Sunitha, along with Brother Jose Vetticatil, started a special school in an empty building. Their goal was to prevent the children of these women from facing similar challenges. In the early days, Sunitha even sold her jewelry and household items to keep Prajwala going.

Today, Prajwala focuses on five main areas: stopping harmful practices, rescuing victims, helping them recover, supporting them to rejoin society, and speaking up for their rights. The organization provides emotional, financial, legal, and social help to victims. It also works to make sure those who harm others are brought to justice. Prajwala has helped over 28,600 survivors of human trafficking. Its large operations make it the biggest shelter against trafficking in the world.

Sunitha Krishnan is full of energy and hope, and her enthusiasm inspires everyone around her. A former co-worker said that working with Sunitha is a constant learning experience. She always encourages her team to use their full potential and helps them grow in their work and personal lives. Her strong hope, passion, and endless effort to reach her goals for Prajwala (which are like her own goals) keep the team focused on their important mission.

Prajwala's program to help the "second generation" works in 17 centers. It has prevented thousands of children from being forced into difficult situations. Prajwala also runs a shelter for rescued children and adults, including many who have health challenges. Sunitha not only leads these efforts but also started a program to help survivors find jobs. This program trains them in skills like carpentry, welding, printing, masonry, and housekeeping.

Prajwala has over 200 employees, but Sunitha works as a full-time volunteer. She decided this early in her life. She supports herself by writing books and giving speeches and seminars about human trafficking around the world. She is married to Rajesh Touchriver, an Indian filmmaker and writer. He has made several films with Prajwala. One film, Anamika, is now part of the training for the National Police Academy. Another film, Naa Bangaaru Talli, won 3 National Awards in 2014.

Influencing Social Policy

In 2003, Sunitha Krishnan wrote suggestions for helping victims of human trafficking in Andhra Pradesh. The State Government approved these suggestions as a policy for rescuing and helping victims.

In 2011, Ms. Krishnan was asked to advise the Government of Kerala on its Nirbhaya policy for Women and Children. This policy aims to fight violence and human trafficking. Sunitha wrote the original plan for this scheme, which involves different government departments and non-profit organizations working together. However, she stepped down from this role on August 4, 2014. She was frustrated by the lack of effort to put the Nirbhaya policy into action. In March 2015, the government asked her to return to the Nirbhaya scheme, giving her more power as an Honorary Director.

In the United States, Ms. Krishnan has spoken to many students to raise awareness, warn them about getting involved in harmful situations, and inspire new activism. She led the first statewide campaign against human trafficking for teenage girls, working with the government and international groups. She also launched the "Men Against Demand" campaign to encourage men to stand against human trafficking. This campaign has reached 1.8 billion people worldwide.

She was also a member of the Andhra Pradesh State Women's Commission. She helped create India's new Bill on violence against women, which was passed in Parliament in 2013 to increase punishments for such acts.

Working with the Law

Sunitha Krishnan has been part of many rescue operations. She realized that social work alone is not enough without strong government policies. So, she works closely with different police departments, especially the Women Protection Cell and the Anti Human Trafficking Unit. Krishnan started the first Crisis Counseling Centre in a police station. This was a test project for police and non-profit groups to work together to stop human trafficking. She has convinced the Andhra Pradesh government to work with her to stop this organized crime. She has helped convict more than 150 traffickers.

Krishnan has also held training workshops for thousands of senior police officers, judges, lawyers, and Child Welfare Committee members. These workshops teach them how to handle human trafficking cases effectively and how to create child-friendly courts. As a result, police officers have learned how to fight this crime and support victims during and after rescue.

In 2015, after a campaign called #ShameTheRapist, Sunitha's economic rehabilitation center in Falaknuma, Hyderabad, had to move. With limited time and money, Krishnan decided to raise funds online. She raised over $225,000 on a crowdfunding platform to cover the moving costs and build an emergency shelter for rescued victims.

Reaching Out Through Media

In 2009, Krishnan gave a speech at an official TED India conference about human trafficking. This speech, given at the Infosys Campus in Mysore, has inspired over 2.5 million viewers worldwide.

Someone who heard her speak said, "She deeply moved the audience in Mysore. She shared heartbreaking stories of the more than 3,200 girls she has rescued. These girls had gone through unimaginable pain, yet they found a way to heal and thrive... Her strong voice and powerful presence made sure that no one could misunderstand her message."

In July 2012, she appeared on Aamir Khan’s television show Satyamev Jayate. This appearance helped raise a lot of money and connect with business owners who offered jobs to survivors. She also appeared on Open Heart with RK, which reached millions of Telugu viewers. Additionally, Krishnan raised awareness among over 3,000 companies through the INK and The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) conferences, making a big impact on those who attended.

Making Films for Change

Early in her career, Krishnan started making films as a way to advocate for her cause. She created and wrote 14 documentary films about important social issues. These included topics like youth and health challenges, forced marriages, abuse within families, and human trafficking. Some of the films she helped develop and co-produce are:

Mein Aur Meri Sanchaien (Hindi)
Needalu: An Insider’s view into the World’s Largest Criminal Enterprise
The Man, His Mission (20 mins, Hindi)
Bhagnagar (10 mins, Hindi)
On Freedom and Fear (30 mins, Telugu, English)
The Sacred Face
Me & Us (23 mins, English)
Astha – An Ode to Life (25 mins, English)
A Chance to Live (25 mins, English)
Anamika–The Nameless (28 mins, Telugu, Hindi)
Building Bridges
Aparajita
Naa Bangaaru Talli (4 National awards)

The 2005 documentary Anamika—The Nameless won the AC award for "Best Foreign Award," Best Editing from Festival Cine de Granada, and Best Documentary Film Award at the HIFF. Prajwala's powerful film The Sacred Face also helped people talk about difficult issues like abuse within families among high-level officials in Hyderabad.

In January 2013, Ms. Krishnan, working with Suntouch Productions, released a feature film about human trafficking. It was called Ente in Malayalam and Naa Bangaaru Talli in Telugu. Naa Bangaru Talli won 5 international awards in 2013, including Best Feature Film Award at Trinity International Film Festival, USA, and an Award of Excellence from IFFCRM, Indonesia. It then won 3 awards at the 61st National Film awards in New Delhi and was shown at the 4th Beijing International Film Festival in 2014.

Research and Publications

In 2002, Krishnan and Brother Jose Vetticatil conducted research and published a document called The Shattered Innocence. This report looked at human trafficking between states from Andhra Pradesh to other states. It showed how serious and widespread the problem was and described the communities most at risk. After this report was given to the government, discussions began about needing many different groups to work together on the issue.

Other books she has published include:

Caregiver's Manual on Human Trafficking: A guide to creating a healing space to restore dignity for victims
From Despair to Hope: A Handbook for Health Counselors
Living Positively: A series of 8 resource guides for community health counselors on care and support
Handbook for Anti-Trafficking Partners of Andhra Pradesh: A State Resource Directory of Service Providers

Facing Challenges

Sunitha Krishnan has been physically attacked 14 times and often receives threats. She shared that a van once purposely hit her auto rickshaw, but she was not seriously hurt. She also narrowly escaped injury when acid was thrown at her. Another time, she was fortunate to avoid harm from a poisoning attempt. Krishnan says that these attacks have only made her more determined to continue her fight against human trafficking.

In 2012, an activist led an attack on one of Prajwala's centers. A group of young people protested in front of the school, claiming that Prajwala was speaking badly about Muslim women to get foreign money. The media reported on this, giving only one side of the story. Hundreds of people came to attack the center with weapons and stones. Their leader loudly threatened to harm Krishnan and close all her other centers.

Awards and Recognition

Sunitha Krishnan has received many awards for her important work:

2016-2018 Awards

India Times listed Krishnan as one of the 11 Human Rights Activists Whose Life Mission Is To Provide Others With A Dignified Life.
Padma Shri in the field of Social Work, 2016.
Inaugural Sri Sathya Sai Award for Human Excellence, 2016.
Tallberg Global Leadership Prize.
Franco-German Award For Human Rights & Rule of law.

2013-2015 Awards

24th Yudhvir Foundation Memorial Award, 2015.
Mother Teresa Awards for Social Justice, 2014.
CIVICUS Innovation Award, 2014.
Kairali Ananthapuri Award, Muscat, 2014.
People of the Year award from LIMCA Book of Records, 2014.
Woman of Substance Award, Rotary Club Mumbai, 2014.
Anita Parekh Award For Women's Empowerment, Rotary Club Mumbai, 2013.
Rotary Social Consciousness Award & Paul Harris Fellowship, Rotary Club Mumbai, 2013.
Godfrey Phillips National Amodini Award, 2013.
Living Legends Award from Human Symphony Foundation, 2013.
Mahila Thilakam Award, Government of Kerala, 2013.
DVF Exemplary Woman Award, Dianne Von Furstenberg Foundation, 2013.
Outstanding Woman Award, National Commission for Women, 2013.

2011-2012 Awards

Akrithi Woman of the Year, Rotary Club Coimbatore, 2012.
IRDS Safdar Hashmi award for Human Rights, 2012.
Women in Excellence Award, SHE Foundation, 2012.
Outstanding Social Work Award, Government of Kerala, 2012.
John Jay College of Criminal Justice International Leadership Award, New York, 2011.
N Joseph Mundaserry Award for Outstanding Social Work, Qatar, 2011.
Aakruthi Woman of the Year Award, Rotary International, 2011.
G8 Woman Award, Colors TV, 2011.
Indiavision Person of the Year Award, Indiavision TV Channel, 2011.
Human Rights Award, Vital Voices Global Partnership, Washington DC, 2011.
Garshom Pravasi Vanitha Award 2011, Kuwait.

2002-2010 Awards

Tejaswini Award, FICCI, 2010.
Kelvinator Woman Power Award, Colors TV, 2010.
Gangadhar Humanitarian Award, Kerala, 2010.
Vanitha Women of the Year, Manorama Publications, 2009.
Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report Heroes from US Department of State, 2009.
CNN-IBN Real Hero Award, Reliance Foundation, 2008.
Perdita Huston International Award for Human Rights, United Nations of Capital Hill, Washington DC, 2006.
Citation from Governor of Andhra Pradesh for Contribution to Women's Empowerment, 2004.
Stree Shakti Puraskar, Government of India, 2003.
Ashoka Fellowship, 2002.

The Malayalam movie director Vineeth Sreenivasan was inspired by her life when he developed the story for his movie Thira.