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Aradhna Nanda – is a social worker and activist with more than 32 years of experience. Her contribution to addressing violence against women, food security and sustainable livelihoods for tribal communities, organising tribal women for self help is significant. She significantly contributed towards mobilising and consolidating a network of human rights lawyers, HURINEO, in Odisha, and has co-founded many rural organisations in the state. She is the founder member of PLD and currently is the President of Friends Association for Rural Reconstruction (FARR). She has also helped found NAWO (Odisha), Odisha Madamukti Avijan, Human Rights Network and Mahashakti Foundation.

Geeta Ramaseshan: is a lawyer based in Chennai, with more than 30 years of practice, both at the trial courts and the Madras High Court. She is currently Special Prosecutor for the CBI and has been the counsel of the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights. She has worked extensively in the area of human rights, women’s human rights, and child’s rights. In addition to her practice, she also conducts trainings for judges, lawyers, police and NGO’s on human rights. She has been a consultant to UNICEF and UNDP, with many publications and newspaper articles to her credit. She recently conducted a study on the Juvenile Justice System in Bihar for UNICEF, and is a guest faculty at the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai where she teaches media law.

Jaya Sharma – is one of the founder members of Nirantar, a centre for gender and education based in New Delhi, and a co-founder of the erstwhile Prism, a sexuality collective. She identifies as a queer feminist activist, working on issues of gender, education and sexuality. As part of the sexuality education initiative within Nirantar, she is involved with capacity building, research and advocacy.

Madhu Mehra – is a feminist lawyer, founding member and Executive Director of PLD. She has contributed towards developing PLD as a legal resource group on women’s rights as well as its collaborative work methods. Her work on CEDAW and women’s human rights spans India, South Asia and the Asia Pacific – as a trainer, technical advisor and researcher. Her activism, work and writings cover issues relating to sexuality, cultural identity politics, conflict, violence against women, access to justice, and the CEDAW. She is affiliated with several leading women’s rights networks in the Asia Pacific (APWLD and the IWRAW-AP); and undertook the review of 15 years of the mandate of the of the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women.

Rebecca Mammen John: is a criminal lawyer and Senior Advocate, Delhi High Court, with more than twenty five years of practice before trial courts, various tribunals, Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India. Her legal practice spans matters as diverse as the Securities scam of 1992, the Hawala cases of 1996 and cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act, the Excise Act and others. She has represented major corporations in India, advises the High Commission of Australia in India and is briefed by most solicitor firms in Delhi. In addition, her body of work includes pro bono matters pertaining to victims of sexual violence, including child sexual abuse. She has been a defense lawyer in a number of civil liberties cases, such as that of Kobad Ghandy, Delhi Diwali blast case, Batla House encounter, Ishrat Jahan encounter, Hashimpura massacre of 1987 and others.