Emerging Leaders : Adriana Rakshana
Safecity is celebrating the journey of people who have emerged as leaders as our campaigns progressed in their communities through our blog series “Safecity Emerging Leaders“. Read the inspiring stories of these individuals who are passionate about making their neighbourhoods safer with Safecity and have taken action in their own special ways.
Adriana Rakshana is a third year Economics and Public Policy Studies major at the University of Chicago with interests in economic development as well as gender and labour issues. She would like to broaden her understanding through such research and learn more about the issues that plague women as well as other lesser fortunate communities in the current day and age. When she is not in class, hanging out with her few friends or sleeping, she can be found searching for the spiciest food in Chicago or dousing her food in Sriracha sauce in order to remedy the lack of spice in most food in the country.
Safecity Emerging Leader : Adriana Rakshana
I am Adriana Rakshana. I live in Kuwait and am currently pursuing my undergraduate studies at the University of Chicago. I am a third year Economics and Public Policy Studies student.
I was a legal and policy intern working under the able leadership of Ms. Vandita Morarka where I had the opportunity to increase my knowledge of the current state of sexual harassment and gender based violence in India from a legal perspective. I was looking for any opportunities related to women’s issues in India and I came across Safecity’s Policy Internship that offered both a sense of structure and flexibility which strongly appealed to me.
Whilst at Safecity, I had the opportunity to analyze current Indian legislation and case law on the different types of offences that plague so many Indian women and compiled steps to aid them in obtaining justice when wronged. I have also had the opportunity to contribute to Safecity’s important work they do with UN subsidiaries in the fields of migration and online violence as well. Through Safecity, I had the opportunity to collaborate with other like-minded individuals who also have a passion to learn about India’s legal systems and are looking to make a change and aid in creating a better position for women and others in need of assistance. The internship made me so much more aware of the different facets of problems that women face in all walks of life. Researching and writing about the current state of laws in India helped me realise how limited current legislation is with regard to issues of gender and sexuality in the country. The tweetchats helped me think about and attempt to discuss complex issues like reservation for women and ways to deal with workplace harassment and other issues that need to be talked about more openly and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The overall experience was very enriching and I definitely learned a lot about legal topics and gender issues as well as about India itself. As a non-resident Indian, it was a great experience educating myself about the intricacies of the Indian legal framework and situating it in the context of systems in place in Kuwait and the US. I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to be involved with such a wonderful organization and have thoroughly enjoyed my time with Safecity. Thank you so much, Safecity!
