Ms Neelam Chaturvedi
Founder & General Secretary
Sakhi Kendra
Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh
Ms Neelam Chaturvedi is a pioneering women’s rights activist and human rights defender with over 40 years of dedicated service from Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. As Founder and General Secretary of Sakhi Kendra (established 1982), Uttar Pradesh’s first women’s crisis intervention and empowerment centre, she has supported more than 48,000 survivors of violence through counselling, legal aid, shelter, leadership training, and livelihood programs.
Starting her journey at the age of 14, against caste and gender discrimination, she co-founded organisations like Mahila Manch and the National Alliance of Women (NAWO). Her advocacy shaped landmark laws, including the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (2005), the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act (2013), and the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act (2013). She served as a national Gender Specialist with the National Commission for Women and represented India at global forums, such as the Beijing World Conference on Women (1995). Honoured as the “Iron Lady” by CSJM University and among India’s Top 10 Human Rights Defenders, she promotes justice, dignity, and equality.
Ms Chaturvedi is an ideal speaker for the 11th International Interfaith Conference 2026. Her grassroots and policy efforts to end gender-based violence and empower marginalised women directly embody the theme ‘Reimagining Our World Together, Placing Gender Equality at the Heart of Humanity,’ bridging faith-inspired values of compassion with universal human rights for inclusive, violence-free societies.