Gauravdewasi: added a pg - done

2026-04-13T21:18:14Z

added a pg - done

New page

{{short description|Sex trafficking abolitionist; business executive}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{autobiography|date=October 2015}}
{{Cleanup|reason=inline ext links should be formatted as refs|date=October 2024}}
}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Ruchira Gupta
| image = Ruchira Gupta Headshot.jpg
| caption = Gupta in 2020
| birth_date = 1964
| birth_place = India
| occupation = Journalist, professor, activist
| known_for = Anti-trafficking activism, founder of [[Apne Aap Women Worldwide]]
| education = University of Delhi
| awards = [[Emmy Award]] (1997), [[Clinton Global Citizen Award]] (2009), [[French Ordre national du Mérite]] (2017)
| website = {{URL|https://ruchiragupta.com}}
}}

'''Ruchira Gupta''' is an Indian journalist and activist.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ruchira Gupta, Founder of Apne Aap, India|url=https://www.un.org/ga/president/62/ThematicDebates/humantrafficking/gupta.pdf|accessdate=19 August 2009|publisher=[[United Nations]]}}</ref> She is the founder of [https://apneaap.org/ Apne Aap], a [[non-governmental organisation]] that works for women's rights and the eradication of [[sex trafficking]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Cool Men Don't Buy Sex |date=16 August 2012|url=http://passblue.com/2012/08/16/cool-men-dont-buy-sex/|publisher=[[Pass Blue]]}}</ref>

== Journalism and UN career ==
Gupta began her career as a journalist, working for The Telegraph Newspaper (Kolkata, India), The Sunday Observer (Kolkata, India), Business India Magazine (Delhi, India), and British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) South Asia (Delhi, India). During her journalism career, she extensively covered women's rights, armed struggles in the north-east of India, caste conflict, and minority issues. She continues to write extensively on sex trafficking and women's rights issues for Open Democracy, Pass Blue, CNN, Times of India, The Hindu, The Guardian, among others.

She then moved on to the [[United Nations]], where she worked with the governments of Iran, Nepal, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia, Kosovo, and the Philippines. She supported some of these countries to develop National Action Plans and laws against [[human trafficking]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Trust Women|url=http://www.trustwomenconf.com/profile/ruchira-gupta/|publisher=[[Trust Women]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121127052900/http://www.trustwomenconf.com/profile/ruchira-gupta/|archive-date=27 November 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref> She has written two manuals on combating trafficking for law enforcement and prosecutors, supported by [[UNODC]] and [[UNIFEM]]. Gupta also served as a [[UNICEF]] contact in October 2000 for the first-ever gathering of [[United Nations Messengers of Peace|Messengers of Peace]] (Goodwill Ambassadors).<ref>{{cite web|title=Press Release|url=https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2000/20001018.note5634.doc.html|publisher=[[United Nations]]}}</ref>

Her publications on trafficking include:
* ''Trafficking Responses in Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia: Needs, Capacity assessment and Recommendations''
* ''Trafficking in the Asia and Near East region: Problem analysis and Proposed framework for response; Kosovo plan of action to counter trafficking in persons''
* ''Manual for law-enforcement officers to confront Demand for Human trafficking''
* ''Training Manual for Prosecutors - On Confronting Human Trafficking''<ref>{{cite web|title=Training Manual for Prosecutors on Confronting Human Trafficking |url=http://www.unodc.org/pdf/india/training_manual_prosecutors1.pdf|publisher=[[United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime]]}}</ref>

== Activism career ==
After completing her documentary, ''The Selling of Innocents'', Ruchira founded [https://apneaap.org/ Apne Aap Women Worldwide], where she has served as president since 2002. Through her work at Apne Aap, Gupta has given voice to the voiceless by organizing victims and survivors from denotified tribes (labeled criminal tribes by the British), who are trapped in inter-generational prostitution, into Self-empowerment groups.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Supply Side: The "Organizing for Independence" Concept|url = http://www.apneaap.org/our-approach/addressing-supply/|website = www.apneaap.org|accessdate = 2015-10-17}}</ref> Through these groups, women and girls access education, livelihood training, legal protection and safe housing; and also campaign for changes in the Indian Law. Gupta's leadership in organizing women to campaign for legal change resulted in trafficking being made a penal offense for the first time in Indian history, through the Criminal Law Amendment Act.<ref>{{Cite news|title = Anti-rape Bill passed|url = http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/parliament-passes-anitrape-bill/article4534056.ece|newspaper = The Hindu|date = 2013-03-21|access-date = 2015-10-17|issn = 0971-751X}}</ref>

Her work in organizing denotified tribes has resulted in two red-light areas in [[Bihar|Forbesgunge, Bihar]] shrinking from 72 brothels to 15 brothels, and 17 to one. Gupta continues to ensure women are able to transform their places of exploitation into safe spaces for education, job training, loan access and legal protection. Along with staff from Apne Aap, Gupta petitioned on behalf of survivors of trafficking to the [[Patna High Court]] to take action against traffickers and protect victims. On 10 March 2013, a notice was issued by the court to the Bihar government to report back on actions taken against trafficking. Apne Aap has also challenged police corruption and is campaigning for police reform after a staff member from the Nat Denotified Tribe was wrongfully arrested after exposing a trafficking ring. Apne Aap continues to campaign for police reform across India. They also appealed to the [[National Human Rights Commission of India]] to challenge police atrocities against Apne Aap staff members who are from denotified tribes.

As part of Gupta's activist career, she also organizes Survivor Conferences and produces the [http://www.apneaap.org/our-stories/red-light-despatch/ Redlight Dispatch], a newspaper written by and for victims and survivors of prostitution. She has addressed the [[UN General Assembly]] two times.,<ref>{{cite web|title=Speech Text|url=https://www.un.org/ga/president/63/interactive/ht/apneape.pdf|publisher=[[United Nations]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Speech Text|url=https://www.un.org/ga/president/62/ThematicDebates/humantrafficking/ebook.pdf|publisher=[[United Nations]]}}</ref> the [[UN Security Council]] once, and the [[UN Human Rights Council]] once to advocate for policies and mechanisms to support victims of trafficking. Her leadership in this area was referenced by feminist activist, [[Catharine MacKinnon]], in her speech: Trafficking, Prostitution and Inequality.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Catharine MacKinnon, "Trafficking, Prostitution, and Inequality"|url = http://www.law.uchicago.edu/audio/mackinnon11411|website = www.law.uchicago.edu|accessdate = 2015-10-17}}</ref>

Gupta has testified before the [[United States Senate]], advocating for the passage of the [[Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000]] and lobbied with other activists at the United Nations for the [[U.N. Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons]]. This resulted in the first U.N. effort to address demand for trafficking .<ref>{{cite web|title=Affiliations |url=http://rosecollar.org/affiliations/|publisher=[[Rose Collar Foundation]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Ruchira Gupta |url=http://www.halftheskymovement.org/pages/ruchira-gupta|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514175625/http://www.halftheskymovement.org/pages/ruchira-gupta|url-status=usurped|archive-date=14 May 2012|publisher=[[Half the Sky]]}}</ref>

Ruchira Gupta has helped more than 20,000 girls, women and their family members in red-light areas and slums of India in the last 12 years. through her NGO [https://apneaap.org/ Apne Aap]. Her work is featured by Nick Kristof in [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/22/opinion/22kristof.html?_r=0 21st Century Slavery in New York Times], in his book [https://books.google.com/books?id=q2eNLtaZ7osC&dq=half+the+Sky+Ruchira&pg=PA14 Half the Sky]. Lucy Liu has directed a movie Meena on Ruchira rescuing a girl in Bihar based on Kristof's report. Gloria Steinem has blogs about Ruchira's Work in [http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/14/a-constant-battle-against-the-sale-of-bodies-in-bihar/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0 a-constant-battle-against-the-sale-of-bodies-in-bihar] in the ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]''. You can watch a conversation between Gloria Steinem and Ruchira at the [[Jaipur Literature Festival]] in January this year.

Earlier, Ruchira worked with [[Hillary Clinton]] and her aides for the passage of the [[Trafficking Victims Protection Act]] by testifying to the [[United States Senate|US Senate]] and recommending draft language that would positively and realistically help victims and survivors. She was a member of the first [[Vital Voices|Global Advisory Council of Vital Voices]] set up by Mrs. Clinton.

Later she helped create the first UN Protocol to end sex-trafficking as well as the Trafficking Fund for Survivors at the [[United Nations]] by addressing the UN General Assembly on behalf of survivors and taking a panel of survivors to speak at the UN General Assembly in New York alongside Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and High Commissioner for Human Rights, [[Navi Pillay|Navi Pillai]].

She has opened groundbreaking avenues within India for survivors to communicate their ideas by rallying their voices for the successful passage of Section 370 .IP.C India's first law on trafficking after the infamous bus rape in Dec, 2012.

Apne Aap has embarked on an exciting South-South anti-trafficking partnership with NGOs in South Africa, USA, France and Nepal by exporting its model of community organising and for the "last" girl. She has spoken before the South African, Iceland and French Parliament to put into place stricter mechanisms to prevent trafficking in women and girls.

Her [http://apneaap.org/our-stories/video/ Ted Talk] and a PBS documentary, [http://apneaap.org/our-stories/video/ Adventure Divas], explain how and why she reaches the "last" girl who is poor, female, a teenager and person of low-caste/colour, marginalized ethnicity who cannot take any decision for herself-to be married or go to school, to play or help with chores, to be prostituted or be a domestic workers, to have a baby or not...

== Teaching career ==
Gupta strives to educate the next generation of activists on best practices in combating trafficking. In this respect, she has designed modules on understanding, and tackling, human trafficking for [[Indira Gandhi National Open University]], New Delhi.{{Citation needed|date=October 2015}} Since 2012, she has designed and taught courses at [[New York University]]'s Center for Global Affairs on "Movement Building around Sex Trafficking".{{Citation needed|date=October 2015}} Ruchira also teaches courses on modern day slavery at [[Seton Hall University]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2015}}

== Awards and recognition ==
In 2009, Gupta was the recipient of the Clinton Global Citizen Award for Commitment to Leadership in Civil Society by the [[Clinton Foundation]], established by [[Bill Clinton]], former [[President of the United States]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Global Citizen Awards 2009 |url=http://www.clintonglobalinitiative.org/ourmeetings/2009/meeting_annual_GCAwards.asp?Section=OurMeetings&PageTitle=Global%20Citizen%20Awards|publisher=[[Clinton Foundation]]}}</ref> In 2010, she was chosen to serve as a member of the organization's leadership program, known as [[Clinton Foundation#CGI Lead|CGI Lead]]. President Clinton created the program to recognize and educate the next generation of global leaders and prepare them to effectively address and take action on the world's most pressing issues. Young leaders chosen from throughout the world include corporate executives, public servants, social entrepreneurs, and NGO managers from among the public, private, and civil sectors.

In 2007, Gupta was honored with the Abolitionist Award by the [[House of Lords]], which is the [[upper house]] of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]].<ref>{{cite web|title=UK award for anti-trafficking activist Ruchira Gupta|url=http://www.indiaenews.com/pdf/49988.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310150828/http://www.indiaenews.com/pdf/49988.pdf|url-status=usurped|archive-date=10 March 2012|accessdate=19 August 2009|publisher=India eNews}}</ref> Her documentary ''The Selling of Innocents'', on sex-trafficking in Nepal and India, won a [[News & Documentary Emmy Award]] in 1996.

Gupta sat on the Steering Committee for the [[Planning Commission (India)|Planning Commission]] of the [[Government of India]] for the [[Eleventh Five-Year Plan (India)|Eleventh and Twelfth Five-Year Plans]], once for Women and Children and once for Social Welfare. She was also on the working group of the [[Ministry of Women and Child Development|Ministry of Women and Children]]. She has served on the advisory boards of [[Asia Society]], New York, Cents for Relief, US, Nomi Network, US, [[Ricky Martin Foundation]], and [[Vital Voices]], Washington DC. Gupta has been honored at the [[White House]] for her work to combat sex trafficking.

In 2011 [[Lucy Liu]] released her 20-minute directorial debut on human trafficking, Meena, which tells the story of a rescue mission to help a young woman save her daughter from the cycle of the sex trade.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Lucy Lui shoots for victims of trafficking|url = https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/celebrities/story/lucy-lui-shoots-for-victims-of-trafficking-meena-haseena-198871-2014-07-01|website = indiatoday.intoday.in| date=July 2014 |access-date = 2015-10-17}}</ref> Meena Haseena was sold to the sex trade by her uncle at the age of 8 years old, and this film portrays her alliance with Ruchira Gupta and their effort to rescue her daughter from the brothel she only recently escaped herself. Her fight to save her daughter Naina, who had been taken from her at birth, and forced into prostitution is the heart of this film and is based on the first chapter of the book [[Half the Sky]], written by [[Nicholas Kristof]] and [[Sheryl WuDunn]].

In 2012 Ruchira Gupta was featured in the documentary ''[[Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide]]'' premiering on [[PBS]] October 1 and 2. The series highlights women and girls living in oppression who are bravely fighting to challenge it. The ''Half the Sky'' PBS TV series is produced by Show of Force along with Fugitive Films.

On 25 September 2014, Ruchira Gupta was honored among 35 other women by the All Ladies League (ALL) in [[Delhi]] for their various achievements. The ALL is the country's first all-women chamber which held its Grassroots Women of the Decade Achievers Awards.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Shri. M. Venkaiah Naidu at ALL Ladies League WODAA Event|url = http://www.aall.in/grassroots-women-decade-harbeen-arora-venkaiah-naidu/|website = Women Economic Forum|accessdate = 2015-10-17}}</ref>

On 8 March 2015, Gupta gave the keynote speech at the NGO Committee on the Status of Women New York (NGOCSW/NY) Forum at the Apollo,<ref>{{Cite web|title = Ruchira's keynote speech at NGO CSW/NY Forum Consultation Day before the start of UN CSW 59|url = http://apneaap.org/ruchiras-keynote-speech-at-ngo-cswny-forum-consultation-day-before-the-start-of-un-csw-59/|website = apneaap.org| date=19 March 2015 |accessdate = 2015-10-17}}</ref> to commence the start of the UN CSW 59 Consultation Day. On the following day, she was awarded the 2015 NGOCSW/NY Woman of Distinction Award<ref>{{Cite web|title = 2015 Recipient - NGO Committee on the Status of Women, NY|url = http://www.ngocsw.org/wod/2015-recipient|website = NGO Committee on the Status of Women, NY|accessdate = 2015-10-17}}</ref> for her tireless efforts to end sex trafficking by emphasizing the link between trafficking and prostitution laws and lobbying policy makers to shift blame from victims to perpetrators.

== Documentaries ==
Documentaries that Gupta has worked on include:
* ''The Brotherhood''. The [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh|RSS]], BBC. 1993.
* ''Zero Hour''. A 13 episode Indian Quiz show with Parliamentarians. BITV. 1994.
* ''The Selling of Innocents''. Documentary on sex-trafficking from Nepal to Mumbai, India, screened on CBC and HBO. 1997.
* ''Kali’s Smile'': [[BBC Radio 4]], documentary on role of Gods and goddesses in Indian popular culture. 1998.
* ''Shiva's wedding'': BBC Radio 4, documentary on role of Gods and goddesses in Indian popular culture. 1998.
* ''Rape for Profit''. (Life in the Mumbai Brothel): [[Newsnight]], BBC. 1999.
* ''Saffron Warriors'' - Series 3 of [[Unreported World]], [[Channel 4]], UK, 2003 on Nazi style [[Hindu fundamentalism]] in India.
* ''Land of the Missing Children'' - Series 9 of [[Unreported World]], [[Channel 4]], UK, 2005, on teenage sex-slavery in India.
* ''[[Paul Merton in India]]'', [[BBC]], Channel 5, UK. 2008.

She also contributed to the scripted film ''Meena: Based On A True Story'', [[Lucy Liu]], Colin K. Gray, and Megan Raney, 2011.

== Committees ==
* Move to End Violence: Building Movement for Social Change. Advisory Committee Member.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.movetoendviolence.org/advisory-committee/|title=Advisory Committee - Move to End Violence|language=en-US|access-date=2016-10-01}}</ref>
* Steering Committee Member and contributor to Report on Empowerment of Women and Development of Children for the Eleventh Plan.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://planningcommission.nic.in/aboutus/committee/strgrp11/str11_wcd.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=30 June 2015 |archive-date=19 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819105823/http://planningcommission.nic.in/aboutus/committee/strgrp11/str11_wcd.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* Government of India, Planning Commission (Social Justice and Welfare Division, 2011).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://planningcommission.gov.in/aboutus/committee/strgrp12/st_pwd.pdf|title = | NITI Aayog}}</ref>

== Further reading ==
* Ruchira Gupta (Editor) ''As if Women Matter: The Essential Gloria Steinem Reader'' Rupa Publications. India Pvt. Ltd., 2014. New Delhi.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140225063855/http://naiduniaepaper.jagran.com/epapermain.aspx?queryed=9&getda=h&eddate=12%2f14%2f2013 Nai Duniya 2013]
* [https://www.indiatoday.in/india/video/prostitution-perna-women-premnagar-rauta-mod-dharmpura-after-marriage-delhi-425377-2013-10-31 The Fallen Women of Prerna India Today 2013]
* Banjaron aur Janjatiyon ke saath insaaf ho, Swaraj Khaar 2013
* [[Nicholas D. Kristof|Kristof, Nicholas D.]]; and [[Sheryl WuDunn|WuDunn, Sheryl]]. ''[[Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide]]'', [[Vintage Books]], 2010. {{ISBN|978-0-307-38709-7}}
* [[Patricia McCormick (author)|McCormick, Patricia]]. ''[[Sold (McCormick novel)|Sold]]'', [[Hachette Books#Hyperion Books|Hyperion Books]], 2006. {{ISBN|978-0-7868-5171-3}}
* Solomon, Rivka. ''That Takes Ovaries!: Bold Females and Their Brazen Acts'', [[Three Rivers Press]], 2002. {{ISBN|978-0-609-80659-3}}
* [[Holly Morris (Author, TV Producer-Host)|Morris, Holly]]. ''Adventure Divas: Searching the Globe for Women Who Are Changing the World'', [[Villard (imprint)|Villard]], 2006. {{ISBN|978-0-375-76063-1}}
* Jain, Niharika and Tara Suri, [http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2010/11/2/apne-aap-women-organization/ ''A Lack of Transparency''], [[The Harvard Crimson]], 2010.
* [[Sun Shuyun|Shuyun, Sun]]. ''Ten Thousand Miles without a Cloud'', [[Harper Perennial]], 2004. {{ISBN|978-0-00-712974-4}}
* Hayward, Ruth. ''Breaking the Earthenware Jar: Lessons from South Asia to End Violence Against Women and Girls'', [[United Nations]], 2000. {{ISBN|978-92-806-3574-4}}
* [[Ramin Jahanbegloo|Jahanbegloo, Ramin]]. ''India Revisited: Conversations on Contemporary India'', [[Oxford University Press]], 2008. {{ISBN|978-0-19-568944-0}}
* [[Abid Surti|Surti, Aabid]]. ''In the Name of Rama'', [[Act Now for Harmony and Democracy]], 2003. ASIN B004I90I88
* Shelly, Louise. ''Human Trafficking: A Global Perspective'', [[George Mason University]], 2010. {{ISBN|978-0-521-11381-6}}

==Bibliography==
* {{Citation | last = Gupta | first = Ruchira | contribution = Pornography in India | editor-last1 = Tankard Reist | editor-first1 = Melinda | editor-last2 = Bray | editor-first2 = Abigail | editor-link1 = Melinda Tankard Reist | title = Big Porn Inc.: exposing the harms of the global pornography industry | pages = 239–248 | publisher = Spinifex Press | location = North Melbourne, Victoria | year = 2011 | isbn = 9781876756895 | ref = none | postscript = .}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gupta, Ruchira}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Loreto College, Kolkata alumni]]
[[Category:University of Calcutta alumni]]
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:Human trafficking in India]]
[[Category:Indian women human rights activists]]
[[Category:Indian women's rights activists]]
[[Category:Indian women journalists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian journalists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women writers]]
[[Category:Indian social sciences writers]]
[[Category:Indian investigative journalists]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women writers]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian journalists]]
[[Category:Writers from Kolkata]]
[[Category:Women writers from West Bengal]]

Ruchira Gupta - Revision history

Gauravdewasi: added a pg - done