21 Facts About Manjula Pradeep

Manjula Pradeep is an Indian human rights activist and a lawyer.

Manjula Pradeep was born on 6 October 1969 in Vadodara in Gujarat in an orthodox Dalit family, shortly after her family migrated from Uttar Pradesh in 1968.

Manjula Pradeep's birth was met with disappointment as her father expected a son, instead of a second daughter.

Manjula Pradeep blamed Manjula's mother for her birth and abused both of them physically and mentally since her birth.

The challenges that Manjula Pradeep faced at home and in the society made her question caste and gender-based discrimination, shaping the trajectory of her future career and activism.

Manjula Pradeep realised that in order to effectively defend people's human rights, she would have to study the law.

Manjula Pradeep helped set up a union of Dalit and tribal women, Vadodara Khet Majoor Sangathan, which aimed to end the injustices faced by these women.

In 2000, in a first for the organisation, Manjula Pradeep trained 40 women to take up leadership roles in Navsarjan.

In June 2001, Manjula Pradeep was one of the youngest members of the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights delegation sent to the United Nations to represent Dalit rights.

Manjula Pradeep took a sabbatical in 2002 for a year to work at the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation in New Delhi, India and helped develop the Swiss aid program.

Manjula Pradeep joined the International Dalit Solidarity Network, based in Copenhagen, in 2008.

In 2009, Manjula Pradeep helped win this case where the teachers were sentenced to life imprisonment by the Gujarat High Court.

Manjula Pradeep was asked to resign from her post as the Executive Director in December 2016.

Manjula Pradeep gives half of her time as Director of Campaigns in Dalit Human Rights Defenders Network Project, which covers five states of India.

Manjula Pradeep has founded Wise Act of Youth Visioning and Engagement Foundation www.

Apart from that, Manjula Pradeep is involved with the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights.

Manjula Pradeep served as a member of the executive group of the International Dalit Solidarity Network and the Secretary of the Executive Committee of the National Center for Advocacy Studies, India.

Manjula Pradeep represents issues facing Dalits and Dalit women in international forums, such as the United Nations and the European Union.

Manjula Pradeep has been conferred Woman Peace Maker award for the year 2011 by the Joan B Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice of the University of San Diego, US.

In 2015, Manjula Pradeep was awarded the Femina Women 2015 Social Impact Award.

In 2017, Manjula Pradeep was conferred the Jijabai Women Achievers Award by University of Delhi.