Triveni Acharya

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 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 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] In 2013, Triveni became the 2013 Humanitarian Honoree of World of Children Award in conjunction with her work with The Rescue Foundation.[10] Along with the recognition the award came with a $75,000 cash grant.[11]