Ravi Kant is an Indian Supreme Court advocate and president of the anti-trafficking non-governmental organization Shakti Vahini, named after the Hindu mother goddess who fought injustice.[1][2][3][4]
He was educated at St. Vincent's High and Technical School and Delhi University.
In 2013, Kant and his two brothers received a Vital Voices Solidarity Award from Joe Biden for their work on combating sexual violence in India.[5][2]
In 2020, he began working with Amar Singh on a Supreme Court case to ban LGBTQ conversion therapy.[6]
At present, the precedent set by Madras High Court's S Sushma v. Commissioner of Police (2021), prohibited conversion therapy in India, directed the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to provide 'shelter homes' for LGBTQ protection, and directed the to government create education programs 'to sensitize police and prison authorities, district and state legal service authorities, health professionals, educational institutions, and most importantly, parents of LGBTQIA+ members'.[7] However, the only protection against conversion therapy is limited to the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, prohibiting medical discrimination against patients on the basis of gender and sexual orientation, limiting liability to state and mental health professionals, but not prohibiting the community or parents from enacting conversion therapy on members of LGBTQIA+ members.[7]
References
edit- ^ ""Yes Men Can," says India's Kant Brothers". Women's eNews. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Male voices speak out to end violence against women". The Washington Post. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
- ^ "India builds game-changing database to track human trafficking". Reuters. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
- ^ Roy, Nilanjana S. (17 May 2011). "A Challenge to Doing Gender Justice by Violence". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
- ^ "Three Indian brothers feted by the US for empowering Indian women". NDTV. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
- ^ "Royal Rebels: Amar Singh and Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
- ^ a b "India's High Court Bans Conversion Therapy: A Much Needed Law". www.jurist.org. 2021-06-22. Retrieved 2023-10-29.