Mallika Dutt is the Founder, President, and CEO of Breakthrough a global human rights organization that uses the power of media, popular culture, and community mobilization to inspire people to take bold action for dignity, equality, and justice. The mission of Breakthrough is to empower individuals and communities to stand for universal human rights by using multimedia that transforms hearts and minds.[1] Breakthrough envisions a world where all individuals and communities live with dignity, equality, and justice. Dutt launched Breakthrough in 2000 with Mann ke Manjeere: An Album of Women's Dreams which won the 2001 National Screen Award in India for best music video.[2] Dutt herself has also won a number of awards for her human rights work, including the 2010 Distinguished Service, Diversity & Progress Award from the South Asian Law Students Association of New York Law School.
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Dutt was born in Kolkata, India on March 29, 1962 and grew up in Kolkata and Mirzapur. She graduated from NYU Law School in 1989, received a Masters in International Affairs and South Asian Studies from Columbia University in 1996, and an A.B. in International Affairs from Mt. Holyoke College in 1983.
Prior to founding Breakthrough, Dutt served as Program Officer for Human Rights and Social Justice at the Ford Foundation’s New Delhi Office where she initiated the Foundation’s work in police reform and forged partnerships between police, NGOs, and civil society groups. During her time at the Ford Foundation, Dutt also developed initiatives and communication between Ford Foundation offices across the globe. Dutt also acted as the Associate Director of the Center for Women’s Global Leadership at Rutgers University, and sought to gain recognition for women’s rights as human rights.
Mallika is a co-founder of Sakhi for South Asian Women and has served on several boards and committees, including the Human Rights Watch Women’s Rights Project and Asia Watch, The Sister Fund, Asian American Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, and the US NGO Coordinating Committee for the UN World Conference Against Racism. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and currently serves on Boards of WITNESS, the Open Society Institute US Programs, and Games for Change, and on the Rights Working Group Steering Committee.
Mallika began her career as an Associate at Debevoise & Plimpton.[3]