ACCOLADES

• In 2008, Prajwala’s documentary film Anamika - The Nameless won two international awards in De Cine De Granada and Action Cut International Film Festival. Another film, “Of Freedom and Fear” produced in collaboration with Andhra Pradesh AIDS Control Society was also screened in the New York Film Festival, Mini DV International Festival.

• Prajwala won the prestigious AGFUND International award in April, 2008 for its pioneering work to Combat Trafficking of Women and Children through Community Partnership. Prajwala was adjudged the best project in the world for its outstanding efforts.
• Prajwala received the National Award for Child Welfare from the Govt. of India in February, 2009 for the exceptional services it renders to prevent child trafficking and its outstanding efforts to rescue and rehabilitate child victims of sex trafficking.
• Edelgive Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Edelweiss Capital, conferred the EdelGive Social Innovation Award to Prajwala in 2011 for its path-breaking work on economic security and livelihoods of victims of trafficking. Five organizations were chosen out of a pool of 235 applicants through a rigorous 4-stage selection process supported by Ernst & Young.

Dr . Sunitha Krishnan--the founder, general secretary and chief functionary of Prajwala--has been recognized for her efforts in the anti-trafficking sector by the following national and international bodies:

• In April 2008, Dr. Sunitha Krishnan won the ‘Real Heroes Award’ constituted by Reliance Industries Limited and CNN-IBN Network. This award is meant to recognize the unsung heroes of independent India.

• Dr. Sunitha Krishnan was felicitated by Intelligence Business Network, Malaysia in March 2009. This felicitation has had a great positive impact as an entry point was created to sensitize women corporate leaders to be sensitive on the issue of trafficking.
• In June 2009, Dr. Sunitha Krishnan was featured as a Real Hero in the Trafficking in Persons Report, released by the US Department of State. This is an acknowledgment of activists fighting to end modern day slavery – Nine persons from across the world were chosen as 2009 TIP Heroes.
• Dr. Sunitha Krishnan won the 2011 Vital Voices Global Leadership Award for her defense of human rights of victims of trafficking and for putting the issue of commercial sexual exploitation before a wider audience. Vital Voices, a Washington-based NGO, empowers emerging leaders and social entrepreneurs around the globe.
• Dr. Sunitha Krishnan received the John Jay Medal for Justice from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York in 2011. Tina Brown, Chief Editor of Time Magazine felicitated and introduced her.
• In 2011 the Young FICCI Ladies Association honored Dr. Sunitha Krishnan with the Tejaswini Award for Young Women Achievers for her humanitarian work. All fellow awardees mentioned her in their award speeches and she received a standing ovation when she took the stage to receive the award.
• Dr. Sunitha Krishnan was given the Gangadhar Smarak Humanitarian Award by the Gangadhar Memorial Trust in 2011, which was presented by Shri ONV Kurup, Sahitya Academy.
• In 2011 Dr. Sunitha Krishnan received the Woman of Steel Award which was given by a Mumbai-based group for her unrelenting fight against sex trafficking.
• The prestigious Vanitha Woman of the Year award was conferred to Dr. Sunitha Krishnan in 2011 by the Malayali Manorama Group. As Dr. Krishnan was the sole awardee, the cause of human trafficking became the highlight of the evening’s glittering event.
• The Human Symphony Foundation awarded Dr. Sunitha Krishnan with the Living Legends Award in 2013. This honour was bestowed to 3 individuals of conscience who respond to their environment with acts that challenge and seek to change the world, and whose spirits sing in concert with the lyrics that build humanity.
• Supported by the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation, the DVF Award was bestowed to Dr. Sunitha Krishnan in 2013 in New York to celebrate her courage to fight, power to survive and leadership to inspire.

Other awards and accolades that acknowledge and appreciate the efforts of Prajwala around the world include the Joseph Mundassery Award (Qatar, 2011), Kelvinator Gr8! Woman Award (2011), Aakruthi Woman of the Year Award (Coimbatore, 2011), She Award (2012), Lion’s Club Woman Power Award (2012), Best Malyali Award, (Dubai, 2012), Bhandu Society Award (Hyderabad, 2013) and Godfrey-Phillips National Amodini Award 2013.