Lucknow,

11 Dec (HS): Poonam Muttreja, Sunitha Krishnan, and Ranjana Kumari's work is

causing systemic change across the country.

16 Days of Activism (November 25–December 10) was founded in 1991 by

activists and is organized by the Centre for Women's Global Leadership. Its

goal is to encourage concerted action against all kinds of gender abuse. This year's campaign addresses digital

violence against women and girls. It is

crucial to note, however, that gender-based violence is a structural issue that

ultimately percolates into digital realms.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, approximately 4.5 lakh

cases of crimes against women were registered in India in 2023 alone. They are

striving to improve the situation by influencing policy, raising public

awareness, offering survivor-focused assistance, and catalyzing systemic

change.

Poonam

Muttreja, Executive Director of Population Foundation of India: Poonam Muttreja has been a leading advocate

for women's health, gender equity, and reproductive rights in India for more

than four decades. As Executive Director

of the Population Foundation of India, she has spearheaded some of the

country's most effective online and offline initiatives against gender-based

violence, such as Bas Ab Bahut Ho Gaya and Desh Badlega Jab Mard Badlega. She is also a co-creator of the award-winning

transmedia campaign Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon, which used entertainment and

community participation to challenge harmful gender stereotypes and combat

gender-based violence.

Poonam, a Schwab Foundation awardee, has

considerable experience working with governments, civil society, and

international partners to scale community health action and increase

communication about social and behavioral change. She is a Delhi University and

Harvard Kennedy School alumni who serves on various national and international

governing committees and frequently participates in public discussions via

television, print, and policy forums.

Dr. Sunitha Krishnan, co-founder of Prajwala

and an anti-trafficking advocate:

Sunitha Krishnan, a human rights activist, won the Best International

Book (Nonfiction) prize at the Sharjah International Book Fair 2025 in November

for her book 'I Am What I Am.' The event

was more than a literary honor for Padma Shri recipient and founder of

Prajwala, India's largest anti-trafficking organization. The prize offers us a larger platform to

advocate for legislation that prioritize victims, stronger implementation, and

greater attention to the reasons driving demand. We've built frameworks, but the urgency to

put them into action is still lacking, she added.

Working

tirelessly and regularly, she shaped Prajwala's path and raised awareness about

sex trafficking. She was also selected

Tallberg Global Leader for 2016 and serves as an advisor to various state

governments on the development of comprehensive victim care.

Dr. Ranjana Kumari, Director, Centre for

Social Research, and Chair, Women Power Connect: Dr Ranjana Kumari, a renowned

social activist, academic, and champion for women's rights in India and South

Asia, is now the Director of the Centre for Social Research and the President

of Women Power Connect. She has

committed her life to promoting gender equality, increasing women's involvement

in government, and combating dowry violence, female foeticide, and human

trafficking.

Her

involvement in social work began in 1976, when she became concerned about dowry

deaths near her house, which eventually inspired her well-known publication

'Brides Are Not for Burning'. She has

also worked as the Coordinator of the South Asia Network Against Trafficking in

Persons and is a member of the Central Advisory Board for the Pre-Conception

and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Tests Act of 2001.

Freedom is being free of all ties, yet an Indian woman is bound by

many. One of the most significant ones

is societal pressure. Women are still

viewed as second-class citizens in our society, and the reason for this is our

thinking, Ranjana stated in an interview, adding that her battle for women's

rights would continue until genuine equality is realized.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi