Mahima Sharda /
International Crisis Group /
New York, USA /
My name is Mahima Sharda, and I’m originally from Jaipur in India. Growing up there, I saw first-hand the challenges faced by women when struggling to be fully included and recognized in society. In addition to physical or sexual violence, women face strong cultural norms that hinder their ability to be treated equally to their male counterparts–at home, at school, or in the office. Equal participation in all aspects of society is a human right, whether that means access to employment, fair pay, safety, or information.
It is for this reason that I wanted to focus on the intersection of women, peace, and security at the International Crisis Group (ICG) this summer, as part of the Gallatin Global Fellowship in Human Rights. I want to find tangible ways of advancing women’s rights in countries where the gender gap is particularly large.
To this end, I will be working on three projects at the ICG. First, I will be conducting academic research on the plight of female refugees and matriarchs in the Middle East. I will also be working with ICG to measure and document the tangible impacts of their work on public policy decision-making. And, finally, I will be critically evaluating the think tank’s approach to gender-related topics from a human rights perspective, comparing it to current theory and thought leadership.
In addition to my academic understanding of this subject matter, which I gained through the fellowship, I hope to bring my professional experience to the ICG. I want to draw connections between this role and the ones I have held previously at the UNDP in India and at the Permanent Mission of Afghanistan to the UN here in New York.