ElsaMarie D’Silva of Mumbai began her career as a flight attendant, eventually rising to become vice president of a planning network for one of India’s largest airlines. Learning about the fatal 2012 gang rape of a young woman in Delhi, an unusually heinous crime that led to public outrage, D’Silva made a dramatic career change.
She is now the founder and CEO of the Red Dot Foundation which works with nongovernmental organizations in India, Nepal and Kenya to address street harassment and violence against women. In addition to community workshops, the foundation empowers women to document catcalling, groping, and other incidents through an online crowd mapping platform called Safecity.
D’Silva was a Rotary Peace Fellow at Chulalongkorm University in Bangkok. There she learned that the work she does is actually peace building. Through her foundation she is trying to help people understand gender stereotypes that reinforce toxic masculinity on a daily basis. Safecity gives victims a safe space to discuss this and understand each other’s point of view. I also helps them navigate these complex issues and become agents of change.
Your contribution to the Rotary Peace Fellows enables this to happen. Thank you.