snigdha dutt

I am a human rights specialist with interest in women’s and children’s rights, refugee rights, human development and transitional justice. I offer over six years of diverse experience with state and non-state actors, think tanks and international NGOs across four countries addressing human rights violations at both local and international levels. What has aided me most during my career is my ability to create amicable partnerships with stakeholders including grassroots organizations, state level agencies and corporations in order to promote common understanding of human rights, its violations and required remedies to institute long-term systemic change. For instance, after the Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh, I worked with a host of European and American corporations, NGOs and student advocacy groups pressing for safe garment factories in Bangladesh, while representing Rana Plaza survivors for political briefings which led to the formation of the Accord and Alliance for worker, fire and building safety in Bangladesh, resulting in mandatory compliance within contracted factories. By coupling my background in finance and economics with my advanced education in regulatory mechanisms, human rights theory, and international human rights law,  I am able to apply empirical research and law-based enforcement of human rights to create advocacy and capacity building tools which represent and protect the most vulnerable human beings.

I was raised in both Bangladesh and India, constantly balancing and dealing with the delicate interactions between conflicting races, religions, identities and nationalities, reinforcing inherent values of dialogue and communication, while suspending easy judgment of experiences and situations. Such lived experiences have reinforced my ability to lead teams providing emergency maternity care, humanitarian aid and crucial social messages under extremely difficult situations in the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar. During my time in the South Asian region I was able to closely interact with, through volunteer endeavors, female acid victims, underprivileged children recovering from heroin addiction, adolescent girls who were victims of violent gang rapes, and children suffering from leprosy.  These experiences have shaped my understanding that human rights violations cannot be solved through binary solutions. Furthermore, my South Asian upbringing coupled with my university and post-graduate experience in the United States and the United Kingdom provides me with diversified knowledge, analytical skills and sensitization about race, class and gender inconsistencies, strengthening the depth of what I can contribute to the field of human rights, law and justice.
Supervisors: Dr. Paul Martin
Address: New York, New York, United States