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April 19,
2002
Breaking
through Barriers to Equality: Human Rights Advocate Mallika Dutt
'83 to Speak April 25
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Mallika
Dutt '83
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Even as a child in
Calcutta, Mallika Dutt '83 could not accept the gender roles imposed
by Indian society. She resented having to sew and knit indoors
while her brothers played games outside, and she vowed that unlike
many of her role models, she would not remain dependent on men
or be passed like property from father to husband. Certainly she
would not become one of the twenty women killed daily over dowry
disputes in India. Today, as a lawyer and human rights activist,
Dutt helps others do what she has done: question the status quo
and blaze new trails. Dutt will present "Visions for Human
Rights in the Twenty-First Century" Thursday, April 25, at
7:30 pm in Gamble Auditorium. Her talk is sponsored by the Asian
Studies Program, the Office of the Dean of the College, and the
Weissman Center for Leadership.
Dutt began advocating
for oppressed groups during her years at Mount Holyoke, which
she describes as "all about enabling women." First involved
in campus efforts to stop sexual harassment and violence against
women, Dutt next worked with New York's International Women's
Tribune Center to tackle global issues of trafficking in women.
She graduated with a degree in international relations, a student
leadership award, and recognition as a Mary Lyon Scholar for a
thesis on prostitution.
After another year of work at the Tribune Center and a master's
degree in international and public affairs from Columbia University,
Dutt started a law degree at the New York University School of
Law. Even before graduating, she had helped draft legislation
requested by India's Self-Employed Women's Association to protect
the rights of home-based and contract workers and had become a
founding member of Sakhi for South Asian Women, an internationally
renowned organization that addresses issues such as violence against
women. She went on to direct a small New York foundation for economic
justice and civil rights, then to serve as associate director
of the international Center for Women's Global Leadership. As
a program officer for the Ford Foundation in New Delhi, she developed
South Asia initiatives on police reform, the rights of disadvantaged
communities, and human rights law and advocacy. Most recently,
she has served as a consultant to the IndoCenter of Art and Culture
in New York and as a visiting scholar at Columbia University's
Center for the Study of Human Rights.
Despite all this work,
Dutt feared that people were not hearing her appeals. "The
language used in the human rights world often doesn't reach people.
There is no emotional link," said Dutt, who responded in
1999 by founding Breakthrough, a nonprofit human rights organization
with offices in New York and New Delhi. Through Breakthrough,
she uses the language of music, art, radio, and television to
spread basic human rights messages, including "stop dowry,"
"prevent violence," and "educate girls."
The media of popular
culture seem to be communicating clearly for Dutt, not only reaching
millions of people's ears, but also winning their hearts and their
approval. Topping India's music charts for five months was Breakthrough's
album Mann Ke Manjeeré: An Album of Women's Dreams (Virgin
Records, India, 2000), whose songs challenged listeners to remove
obstacles to the realization of women's dreams. The video of the
album's title song, which tells the story of a woman's escape
from domestic abuse and her pioneering career as a truck driver,
was named winner of India's 2001 Screen Awards and was nominated
for the MTV Music Awards. Dutt was awarded the National Citizen's
Award for contributions to women and development in India, as
well as an award of achievement by the South Asian Women's Creative
Collective in New York.
Proceeds from the
album are supporting scholarship funds for women and girls and
helping Breakthrough fund development of a curriculum, based on
the music album, to get people talking about the status of women
in India. "There is a long journey ahead in terms of making
a real change in women's lives," Dutt said. "If we are
to realize the potential of the new century, then we must recognize
the contribution of half the country's population. By enabling
women instead of discriminating against them, we can unleash a
whole new energy in the development process."
In addition to empowering
women, Breakthrough also advocates for racial and ethnic equality
and promotes peace and religious harmony. In September, Breakthrough
participated in the World Conference Against Racism held in South
Africa and made a video to highlight important issues addressed
there, including caste discrimination and challenges faced by
migrants, indigenous communities, and women. After the attacks
of September 11, the organization worked with Walled City Media
to present the Pakistani Sufi rock band Junoon in an American
television concert to promote peace and draw attention to progressive
Muslim voices. Breakthrough will use the program and related educational
materials to address concerns about human rights in religions
and to promote peace and tolerance in North America and South
Asia.
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