Indian Women's Rights Activist Wins

By: WE Staff | Thursday, 29 September 2022

The UN SDG Action Awards have recognised an Indian woman's rights activist who travelled 3,800 kilometres across the length of the nation in less than a year to promote awareness of gender-based violence and inequality. At the UN SDG Action Awards, Srishti Bakshi, a former marketer who is now a women's rights activist, received the "Changemaker" award for "confronting gender-based violence and pushing for safe access to public spaces."

The SDG Action Campaign said in a statement that the Awards, a centrepiece of the UN SDG Action Campaign, sought initiatives that 'Mobilise, Inspire and Connect' people to drive action towards a more sustainable future on a healthy planet as well as those that are flipping the script and rethinking "how we live."

Out of more than 3,000 applications from 150 different countries, the finalists were chosen. Other winners of the award include "SUPvivors say NO MORE" in the Mobilize category for "empowering sexual abuse survivors in Ecuador to become "SUPER survivors," "The Masungi Story" in the Inspire category for "youth rewriting the future of forgotten watersheds at Masungi Geosreserve in the Philippines," and "CyprusInno" in the Connect category.

CyprusInno is an initiative that promotes peacebuilding through young people's invention, showing that even the most difficult, widespread problems can be resolved by creative, nonviolent means.

According to the SDG Action Awards website, their Center is one of the first innovative centres in the world situated in a demilitarised zone, where Greek and Turkish Cypriots from the final divided capital in Europe come together every day to collaborate and break down boundaries. In order to inspire women and share inspiring tales of resiliency, Bakshi "set out on a on foot pilgrimage of 3,800 kilometres through 12 Indian states from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, holding over 100 courses focused on women's safety, as well as digital and financial literacy."

Her trek on foot was documented in the film "WOMB: Women Of My Billion," which "reveals the true struggles and emotions that Indian women are currently facing. More than 100,000 people of all genders have been inspired by her acts "based on data from the awards website. The documentary film WOMB has been shown at over 14 international film festivals on four different continents since its release in 2021. According to a statement on the SDG Action Awards website, the judges "were "absolutely in awe" of Bakshi's tale, "saying that her work is a shining example of the change that can be brought about through brave and resolute action.

"When women are supported and allowed to reach their full potential, their entire communities move forward, and it was clear to all that Srishti's work has done just that, showing how collaboration can lead to groundbreaking initiatives that pursue not only one but multiple SDGs at a time," the statement said. "Our judges can't wait to follow Srishti's story and salute her efforts, wishing her every success in her journey ahead, and hope her actions continue to shape the dreams of many more women around India," it added. 

For being a pioneer who not only challenges traditional and out-of-date gender norms, but also enables women to be the change in their communities, Bakshi had been nominated as one of the finalists of the 2022 UN SDG Action Awards, Changemaker category.

According to Marina Ponti, director of the UN SDG Action Campaign, the award recipients' fervour and dedication are "leading examples of the transformative change we need to see in the globe." The Global Week to #Act4SDGs, a global mobilisation that took place from September 16 to 25 as world leaders gathered at the UN General Assembly, was concluded with a ceremony in Bonn, Germany, where the winners were declared.