UN Lawyer Creates Women's Rights Guide After Own Trauma

When a 13-year-old girl stood up at The Hindu's Lit for Life festival and asked "Why do men take advantage of women?" she opened the door to a conversation that hundreds of women desperately needed to hear.

Manasi Chaudhari, a UN-recognized lawyer, didn't just answer the question. She spent the session breaking down the legal protections many Indian women don't even know they have, from workplace harassment laws to domestic violence resources.

The statistics from her own website tell a stark story. Most visitors searching for information on sexual harassment are actually looking for help with domestic violence, and many are married women. Chaudhari has seen firsthand how religious differences can mean two women sitting side by side have completely different legal rights in India.

Her message to women centers on one key truth: financial independence is the number one security any woman can have. Whether someone can leave a toxic relationship often comes down to whether they can support themselves financially.

Chaudhari's passion for this work comes from personal experience. A traumatic incident in her own life led her to found Pink Legal, an NGO dedicated to raising awareness about women's rights. "The devil lies in the details," she told the audience, explaining how her legal training helped her recognize her own strength and take action against her abusers.

She addressed a common misconception head-on. Many women believe only physical abuse counts as violence, but her new legal handbook unpacks the many forms of emotional violence that affect women's wellbeing. The book covers critical laws on marital rape, harassment through death and rape threats, and the practical steps for filing complaints.

Why This Inspires

While the legal system still has gaps (including a shortage of judges willing to handle violence cases despite fast-track courts), Chaudhari has watched conditions improve over the years. Her strongest advice? Never hesitate to reach out to police when you need help.

From one teenager's courageous question to a room full of women learning about protections they didn't know existed, this session proved that knowledge truly is power.