Meenakshi Ganguly

Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch, oversees the organization’s work in the region. Before taking over as South Asia director in 2010, she served as Human Rights Watch’s South Asia researcher since 2004.

Ganguly has worked on a broad range of issues including police reform, sexual violence, discrimination based on religion or caste, freedom of expression, and armed conflict. In India, she has researched abuses surrounding the sectarian riots in Gujarat, the lack of justice in Punjab, issues of religious freedom, the failure to protect India’s vulnerable communities – including those affected by the Maoist conflict – and abuses related to the fighting in the states of Manipur and Jammu & Kashmir. She has also advocated for the protection of women and children from violence, including sexual abuse, and for a human rights approach to India’s foreign policy.

In Nepal, Ganguly continues to press for accountability around rights violations during the armed conflict and for reform to bring abusive members of the government forces and the Maoist combatants to justice. With the end of Sri Lanka’s conflict, she advocated for human rights abusers in the Sri Lankan military, as well as in the Tamil Tigers’ forces, to be held accountable. Ganguly has researched the issue of Bhutanese refugees in Nepal, as well as discrimination against ethnic Nepali citizens living in Bhutan. She has documented human rights violations in Bangladesh and called for better protections of labor rights. Additionally, she has worked on issues such as protection of children during conflict, discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS, and the rights of men who have sex with men. She has been published in several newspapers, websites, and journals.

Prior to joining Human Rights Watch, Ganguly served as the South Asia correspondent for Time Magazine, covering Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Ganguly has a Masters in Sociology from the Delhi School of Economics.