Trisha Shetty (born 16 September 1990) is an Indian activist for gender equality and the founder of
SheSays. She is known for human rights advocacy, especially advocating for gender-sensitive policies and law, quality education, youth and gender representation and preventing sexual violence in India. Her work and advocacy has been recognised by the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
,
President Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
,
Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II and
President Emmanuel Macron. She currently serves as the President of the Steering Committee of the
Paris Peace Forum
The Paris Peace Forum is a French non-profit organisation created in March 2018. The organisation hosts an annual gathering of world leaders and heads of international organisations, as well as leaders from civil society and private sectors and t ...
, an international summit launched in 2018, under the leadership of
President Macron
Emmanuel Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France since 2017. ''Ex officio'', he is also one of the two Co-Princes of Andorra. Prior to his presidency, Macron served as Minister of Econo ...
; to promote good global governance. She is also part of the 8 member Global Leadership Advisory Council of the Museum for the United Nations -
UN Live, alongside
Ban Ki-moon; Former UN Secretary-General and
Darren Walker; President, Ford Foundation. Shetty was named one of India's "7 Most Powerful Warriors" by India Today and was one of the honourees of the
Vogue India
''Vogue India'' is the Indian edition of the monthly fashion and lifestyle magazine ''Vogue''. It is the 17th international edition of ''Vogue'' and the first edition in South Asia. ''Vogue India'' is published by Condé Nast India Pvt. Ltd., a ...
Woman of the Year Award. She was also inducted as one of the 12
Obama Foundation
The Barack Obama Foundation is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization founded in 2014. It oversees the creation of the Barack Obama Presidential Center, runs the My Brother's Keeper Alliance (a program Barack Obama began while he was president), ...
Scholars at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
in the inaugural batch. Trisha publicly shared her story of child sexual abuse for the first time in 2019, in a
TED Talk
TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sau ...
titled, "Embrace your scars, be your own hero" as part of a special edition of TED conference broadcast on Television, hosted by and in collaboration with the Actor,
Shah Rukh Khan.
Early life and education
Trisha Shetty was born in
Mumbai, Maharashtra India. She completed her bachelor's degree in Political Science and Psychology from Jai Hind College,
University of Mumbai
The University of Mumbai is a collegiate, state-owned, public research university in Mumbai.
The University of Mumbai is one of the largest universities in the world. , the university had 711 affiliated colleges. Ratan Tata is the appointed h ...
. She then graduated as a lawyer from the University of Mumbai. In 2018, she was selected as an Obama Foundation Scholar to complete a 1-year specialised training, educational and mentorship program at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
in New York City. The inaugural Obama Scholars cohort is composed of twelve accomplished leaders, who are participating in an immersive program that brings together academic, skills-based and experiential learning, designed by Columbia University in consultation with the Obama Foundation.
Career and activism
Shetty founded SheSays in August 2015. SheSays is a youth-led movement to advance gender equality through a multidimensional approach. Trisha shared her personal story of child sexual abuse and her journey to start SheSays for the first time in November 2019 through her TED talk, "Embrace your scars, be your own hero." Her talk was aired on television across
Star Plus and
Star World in English and Hindi. She spoke as part of a special series developed by TED in collaboration with the actor, Shah Rukh Khan and Star TV Network. The talk was translated in multiple regional Indian languages and was broadcast digitally via
TED
TED may refer to:
Economics and finance
* TED spread between U.S. Treasuries and Eurodollar
Education
* ''Türk Eğitim Derneği'', the Turkish Education Association
** TED Ankara College Foundation Schools, Turkey
** Transvaal Education Depa ...
,
Hotstar
Disney+ Hotstar (also known as Hotstar) is an Indian brand of subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Novi Digital Entertainment of Disney Star and operated by Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution, both d ...
and
NatGeo
''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...
.
In 2016, the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon and Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth announced Shetty as one of 17 youth leaders selected for the inaugural class of UN Youth Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals. Shetty was selected for her leadership and contribution to end gender inequality and injustice by 2030.
In 2017, Shetty was named on the
Forbes 30 Under 30
''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 is a set of lists of people under 30 years old issued annually by ''Forbes'' magazine and some of its regional editions. The American lists recognize 600 business and industry figures, with 30 selected in twenty industries ...
list under the categories Pioneer Women and Social Entrepreneur. She also delivered the keynote address at the UN
ECOSOC
The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC; french: links=no, Conseil économique et social des Nations unies, ) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields ...
Youth Forum, 2017.
In March 2018, Shetty was selected as one of the 13 Indian's to join the inaugural Young Leaders India-France Club launched by French President Emmanuel Macron, during his State visit to India. The Club Young Leaders India-France aims to build an influential advisory network to promote Indo-French bilateral action.
In June 2018, Shetty was inducted into the final
Queen's Young Leader Cohort by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace. As a Queen's Young Leader, Shetty received specialised training and mentorship and was invited to a reception hosted by
Prime Minister Theresa May at
10 Downing Street.
Shetty was also co-contributor to the ''Sunday Times'' best seller, ''Feminists Don't Wear Pink'' (2018), a collection of short stories by activists and female leaders to raise money for the United Nations initiative Girl Up.
On
International Day of the Girl Child
International Day of the Girl Child is an international observance day declared by the United Nations; it is also called the Day of Girls and the International Day of the Girl. October 11, 2012, was the first Day of the Girl Child. The observatio ...
, Shetty assisted
Michelle Obama to launch the Global Girls Alliance under the Obama Foundation. Shetty joined other celebrities including
Zendaya
Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman ( ; born September 1, 1996) is an American actress and singer. She has received various accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Awards. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the ...
,
Karlie Kloss
Karlie Elizabeth Kloss (born August 3, 1992) is an American fashion model. ''Vogue Paris'' declared her one of the "top 30 models of the 2000s" when she was 17.
Kloss was a Victoria's Secret Angel from 2013 until 2015; she resigned to study at ...
and
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981), also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer, actress, and talk show host. Throughout her career, she has received various accolades for her works in recorded music, film, televisio ...
on ''
Today
Today (archaically to-day) may refer to:
* Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now''
* Current era, present
* The current calendar date
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 ...
'' and urged viewers to take a stand for marginalised girls.
In 2018, Shetty became the vice-president of the Paris Peace Forum Steering Committee and the following year she was named the President of the Steering Committee working with
President Macron
Emmanuel Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France since 2017. ''Ex officio'', he is also one of the two Co-Princes of Andorra. Prior to his presidency, Macron served as Minister of Econo ...
to host an annual event to support international cooperation and global governance to ensure durable peace.
In response to COVID-19
Trisha Shettyhas joined the Lancet-Chatham House Commission as a Health Commissioner on Improving Population Health Post COVID. The commission has been set up with the aim to contribute to international efforts to improve and safeguard the health of populations equitably post COVID-19 by identifying key actions for international, national and local actors that will synergistically
* prevent pandemics
* reduce non-communicable diseases
* protect natural environments
The commission – funded by Wellcome – will run for 18 months, from October 2020 to April 2022, culminating in a ''Lancet'' Commission Report to be submitted for publication by April 2022.
In 2021, Shetty also joined the Global Advisory Board of UNLEASH alongside Mr. Nandan Nilekani, co-founder, Infosys and Ms Nena Stoilkovic, Under-Secretary General, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. UNLEASH is a non-profit founded in 2016 with the aim of developing solutions to the SDGs and building capacity for young people from around the world.
In April 2022, Shetty joined former Prime Minister of Sweden, Mr. Stefan Löfven alongside Mr. Jan Eliasson, Former Deputy Secretary-General of the UN and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sweden, Ms. Sharan Burrow, General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Australia and Anna Sundström, Secretary General, Olof Palme International Center to launch the Common Security 2022 report to mark the 40th anniversary of Olof Palme's Independent Commission on Disarmament and Security Issues. Shetty was part of the High-Level Advisory Commission that consulted on the drafting of the report.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shetty, Trisha
1990 births
Living people
Indian women activists
Activists from Mumbai
University of Mumbai alumni
Columbia University alumni