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{{Short description|Indian development professional}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Akhila Sivadas
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Tamil Nadu, India
| education = [[Miranda House, University of Delhi|BA (Hons), MA in History]], [[Jawaharlal Nehru University|M.Phil in Modern Indian History]]
| occupation = Development professional, researcher
| years_active = 1990s–present
| known_for = Executive Director of [[Centre for Advocacy and Research]]
}}

'''Akhila Sivadas''' is an Indian development professional and researcher specialising in communication, gender and advocacy. She has worked on initiatives related to women's rights, reproductive health, and inclusion of marginalised communities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Akhila Sivadas- Read all stories from Akhila Sivadas |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/author/akhila-sivadas-101697436169170 |access-date=2025-08-19 |website=Hindustan Times |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sivadas |first=MS Akhila |date=2023-03-12 |title=Women With Voice and Agency: The Warriors Combatting Neglected Tropical Disease |url=https://www.thequint.com/fit/neglected-tropical-disease-lymphatic-filariasis-elephantiasis-women-healthcare-india |access-date=2025-08-19 |website=TheQuint |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://iaws.co.in/publication-pdf/NCF07.3-Looking_Forward_Looking_Back_(Conference_Report)_1995.pdf | page=39 | title=Looking Forward, Looking Back: In Search of Feminist Visions, Alternative Paradigms and Practices | website=iaws.co.in}}</ref> She is the executive director of Centre for Advocacy and Research, a [[Non-governmental organization|Non Governmental Organisation]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-22 |title=Akhila Sivadas |url=https://www.downtoearth.org.in/author/akhila-sivadas |access-date=2025-08-19 |website=Down To Earth |language=en}}</ref>

== Early life and education ==
Sivadas is from [[Tamil Nadu]] and resides in New Delhi.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://naco.gov.in/sites/default/files/Paving%20the%20Way%20for%20an%20AIDS%2015122017.pdf | page=133 | title=National Strategic Plan for HIV/AIDS and STI 2017 – 2024 | date=December 1, 2017}}</ref> She did her BA honours and postgraduate degree, both in history, at Miranda House, New Delhi which is affiliated with University of Delhi.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Akhila Sivadas_ CV |url=https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/akhila-sivadas-cv-64079357/64079357 |access-date=2025-08-19 |website=SlideShare |language=en}}</ref> Later, she completed her M.Phil in modern Indian history in 1972 at [[Jawaharlal Nehru University]], Delhi.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/akhila-sivadas-79413154/?originalSubdomain=in | website=LinkedIn | title=Akhila Sivadas}}</ref>

== Career ==
Sivadas worked briefly, as a lecturer in Hyderabad in early nineties and later, joined the [[Women's Feature Service|Women’s Feature Service]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cooper |first=Gillian |date=2020-06-01 |title=There is no movement without media: 12 tips for successful engagement |url=https://commonwealthfoundation.com/there-is-no-movement-without-media-12-tips-for-successful-engagement/ |access-date=2025-08-19 |website=Commonwealth Foundation |language=en-GB}}</ref> In January 1992, she founded the Media Advocacy Group, within WFS, as an initiative to strengthen gender and development perspectives in the media. In 1994, the [[National Commission for Women]] commissioned her to document and publish issues concerning women and the media in a single volume.<ref>[https://cdn.ncw.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/MoM31101994S.pdf National Commission for Women - 31 October 1994 Minutes]</ref>

In 1998, Sivadas was awarded a [[MacArthur Foundation Fellow|MacArthur Foundation]] fellowship grant under its 'Population and Reproductive Health' vertical, a programme to promote the use of media for women's reproductive health initiatives in India, [[Mexico]], and [[Nigeria]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sivadas, Akhila - MacArthur Foundation |url=https://www.macfound.org/grantee/sivadas-akhila-28022/ |access-date=2025-08-19 |website=www.macfound.org}}</ref> As part of the fellowship, she became a founding member of CFAR and has served as its executive director since its inception. The organisation works on issues of media advocacy, health and rights of marginalised communities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Wire: The Wire News India, Latest News, News from India, Politics, External Affairs, Science, Economics, Gender and Culture |url=https://thewire.in/health/women-elephantiasis-up |access-date=2025-08-19 |website=thewire.in}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2010-11-19 |title=Marginalised communities cry for dignity, respect |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/marginalised-communities-cry-for-dignity-respect/articleshow/6949314.cms |access-date=2025-08-19 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref>

Also in 1998, along with media critic Shailaja Bajpai, she conducted media monitoring programme for [[UNESCO]]. The study monitored popular programmes on major TV channels in India, and the duo wrote two documents which formed the basis of a Public Hearing in [[New Delhi]]. TV producers, TV channel executives, politicians, parents, teachers, psychiatrists and the public attended the hearing, and the findings were published as a book by UNESCO.<ref>https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000126566{{Dead link | date=December 2025 | fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

As a researcher, she specialises in communication and worked on gender and development, and its impact on communities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Us – Naz Foundation |url=https://www.nazindia.org/aboutus/ |access-date=2025-08-19 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-03-24 |title='Marginalised women did not avail of schemes': NGO report |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/marginalised-women-did-not-avail-of-schemes-ngo-report-4582940/ |access-date=2025-08-19 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref> She also supported in bringing out publications on media advocacy and policy briefs on inclusivity of marginalised communities and reducing the stigma.<ref>{{Cite news |last=PTI |date=2020-09-06 |title=Two years since Article 377 annulment, LGBTQ community still battling prejudice |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/two-years-since-article-377-annulment-lgbtq-community-still-battling-prejudice/article32534479.ece |access-date=2025-08-22 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.aidsdatahub.org/sites/default/files/resource/framework-media-engagement-human-rights-sexual-orientation-gender-identity-south-asia.pdf | title=A Framework for Media Engagement on Human Rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in South Asia | website=www.aidsdatahub.org}}</ref> After 2000, she campaigned against sex selection for about five years and from 2005, she started work in [[Rajasthan]] to stop sex selection.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=27 November 2005 |title=1st National Bioethics Conference - Ethical challenges in health care: global context, Indian reality |url=https://ijme.in/nbc-20140321/pdf/nbc1/nbc-2005-supplement-issue.pdf |journal=Indian Journal of Medical Ethics |volume=II |issue=2005 supplement |pages=S43, S67 |via=Forum for Medical Ethics Society}}</ref> Under her, CFAR implemented the [[Avahan]] programme, the India AIDS Initiative of [[Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation]] as a media advocacy implementing partner in six high prevalent states.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.globalhealthdelivery.org/files/ghd/files/ghd-020_avahan_at_scale.pdf | page=9 | title=The Avahan India AIDS Initiative: Managing Targeted HIV Prevention at Scale | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240617071632/https://www.globalhealthdelivery.org/files/ghd/files/ghd-020_avahan_at_scale.pdf | archive-date=2024-06-17}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://docs.gatesfoundation.org/documents/peer-led-outreach.pdf | page=30 | title=Managing HIV prevention from the ground up: Avahan's Experience with Peer Led Outreach at Scale in India | website=docs.gatesfoundation.org}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://cfar.org.in/team/akhila-sivadas/ Centre for Advocacy and Research]
* {{LinkedIn page|in/akhila-sivadas-79413154}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sivadas. Akhila}}
[[Category:1948 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Indian women activists]]
[[Category:Indian activist journalists]]
[[Category:Jawaharlal Nehru University alumni]]
[[Category:Indian feminists]]

Akhila Sivadas - Revision history

JaimieCarrigan: put up new data needs work.