Indian-American human rights activist Mallika Dutt has won the American Courage Award for her work in the U.S. and India.
The 47-year-old, who grew up in Kolkata and left for the U.S. at the age of 18, will receive the award on October 1 from the Asian American Justice Center, a leading civil rights organisation.
In 1989, Ms. Dutt co-founded ‘Sakhi,’ an organisation that helped south Asian women suffering domestic violence in New York.
According to Ms. Dutt, the award highlights the need for effective immigration reform in a post-9/11 America. “Right now people can be detained and deported for very minor reasons. There has to be a fair and sensible way for people to enter this country.”
As a human rights officer for Ford Foundation in New Delhi, she addressed the rights of the marginalised — Dalits, adivasis and women. She considers abuse of women as the most serious form of human rights violation in India. She heads ‘Breakthrough,’ an international human rights organisation that spreads the message of social justice through popular media.