U S AWARD

Indian-American human rights activist Mallika Dutt has won the
American Courage Award for her work in the U.S. and India. The 47-
year-old, who grew up in Kolkata and left for the U.S. at the age of
18 , will receive the award on October 1 from the Asian American
Justice Center, a leading civil rights organisation. In 1989 , Ms.
Dutt co- founded 'Sakhi,' an organisation that helped south Asian
women suffering domestic violence in New York. According to Ms. Dutt,
the award highlights the need for effective immigration reform in a
post-9 /11 America. "Right now people can be detained and deported
for very minor reasons. There has to be a fair and sensible way for
people to enter this country." As a human rights officer for Ford
Foundation in New Delhi, she addressed the rights of the marginalised
— Dalits, adivasis and women. She considers abuse of women as the
most serious form of human rights violation in India. She heads '
Breakthrough,' an international human rights organisation that
spreads the message of social justice through popular media.