Priti Patkar

Personal life

Priti Patkar was born in Mumbai. Her father was a government servant and her mother ran a daycare program. She is a Gold Medalist from The Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai where she completed a Masters in Social Work. She is married to social activist Pravin Patkar.

Activism

Priti Patkar has been working for the protection and rescue of children and women victims of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation for the past 28 years. She founded Prerana in 1986. She is accredited with several path-breaking social interventions for the protection and dignity of children and women victims of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation.

Some of her pioneering interventions include:-

Her intervention under Children Affected by AIDS programme was adjudged and documented by Washington University as one of World’s 7 best interventions of working with AIDS affected persons.

Priti's organisation runs three centres in the heart of Mumbai's red light areas in Kamathipura, Falkland Road and Vashi.

She has to her credit the largest number of legal interventions and Writ Petitions in the country to protect the rights and dignity of the children and women victims of Child Sex Exploitation and trafficking.

Positions held

1. Ashoka fellow of the Ashoka Foundation USA, for 1988–92.
2. Consultant, Project funding and project development policies. VOLKART FOUNDATION, India
3. Member of the First National Level committee for "Prevention and Control of AIDS" appointed by the Govt. of India
4. Member, Special Committee for Review of Legislation on Women, appointed by the Department of Women & Child Welfare, Govt. of India
5. Member UNICEF Team to Sensitize and Train members of Judiciary (Judges) on CSE&T at JOTI Nagpur since 2001 up to date
6. Visiting Resource Person, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, for the Training of Senior IPS police officers (Covenant Police Services) in social legislation, and vertical communication.
7. Member: Mahila Dakshata Samiti to supervise five police stations in Zone II, in Mumbai in cases related to women 1996 up to date, appointed by the Commissioner of Police, Greater Mumbai.
8. Member: Special State Level Committee for Rehabilitation of Trafficked Victims set up by the Maharashtra State Commission for Women Govt. of Maharashtra.
9. Founder Member, Forum Against Child Sexual Exploitation, Mumbai.
10. Member Expert Group on Women & Law of the National Commission for Women India 1999–2004
11. Founder & National Convener Network Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation & Trafficking (NACSET)
12. Co Director, Anti trafficking Center One of the two specialised Anti trafficking Centres supported by US Department of State in South Asia, through UNIFEM South Asia Regional Office (Looks after Research, Documentation, Clearing House of Information, E-mail Anti Trafficking News Service, Sensitization & Training, Networking, Advocacy & Lobbying etc. on Trafficking
13. Member: Guidance & Monitoring Committee set up by High Court of Mumbai to supervise the Special Home for Rescued Juvenile Girls Deonar Mumbai.
14. Member: State Level Advisory Committee Govt. of Maharashtra formed under the Immoral Traffic Act 1986. 2005 up to date
15. Invited Member for Central Advisory committee Govt of India for implementation of anti trafficking programmes.

Awards and accomplishments

The Government of India acknowledged her work and incorporated the programme measures pioneered and standardised by her in the first National Plan of Action 1998 against trafficking of children and women. The United Nations invited her to speak before the United Nations Congress at Vienna in April 2000 as the Best Practice of working with the women victims of violence when the Optional protocol against Organized Crime was being finalised. Priti was invited as a Resource Person for the World AIDS Congress in Yokohama in as early as 1993 and at the Second World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children held at Yokohama Japan in 2000.

Research

She has 7 books and several research reports to her credit published/released by The National Commission for Women, UNICEF, UNDP, USAID/FHI and others sponsored by Groupe Development (France), Concern India Foundation, USAID, etc.

Some of them are:-

1. Completed Research Methodology I & II course at Tata Institute of Social Sciences
2. One Year Certificate Course in Research Methodology at TISS
3. Coordinator Mumbai chapter for the landmark study of Prostitution in India in 6 metropolitan cities by Central Social Welfare Board 1990.
4. Research Co-Director “Six District Study of Trafficking of Children and situation of children of trafficking victim women” Report published by UNICEF Maharashtra.
5. Co Director : Empirical Research On Sex Tourism on Indian West Coast sponsored & published by National Commission for Women India
6. Director: Research project for UNDP in 2004. Interface between HIV and Trafficking