For 20 Yrs, These 3 Brothers Have Been Fighting Violence Against Women & Children

2 May 2025

It started with a phone call. A girl, barely a teenager, had been trafficked from Jharkhand to Delhi and sold into slavery. A desperate relative reached out for help.

Ravi, Nishi, and Rishi Kant, three brothers from Delhi, were not activists back then. But they knew they couldn’t ignore this.

They searched brothels, illegal placement agencies, shady homes, and what they saw shook them to the core. Girls as young as 10, locked in dark rooms, bruised, terrified. Some had been sold by their own families.

And that was just the tip of the iceberg. What started as one rescue became a lifelong fight. The brothers realised: this wasn’t one girl’s story.

Thousands of women and children were being trafficked, abused, and forced into unimaginable horrors every year. If they didn’t fight for them, who would?

They founded Shakti Vahini in 2001, an NGO dedicated to rescuing women and children from trafficking, abuse, and honour-based crimes. But it wasn’t easy. They had no political backing, no money. And worse, powerful people wanted them to stop.

The threats started coming in. Traffickers, corrupt officials, even influential village elders tried to silence the Kant brothers. “Stay out of this," they warned. "This is how things have always been."

But the brothers refused to back down. Rescues, raids, legal battles, awareness drives, they did it all. Even trained police officers pushed for stricter laws and fought cases in court.

Each girl they saved gave them another reason to keep going. One of their biggest victories? The 2018 Supreme Court ruling against honour killings.

They fought for a woman’s right to choose her partner, and won! This case changed history. Another major win? Child marriage.

Through their Child Marriage Free India campaign, they’ve helped stop thousands of illegal child marriages across the country. Girls who were once seen as “burdens” are now chasing their dreams.

For their exemplary work against sexual violence, the Kant brothers received the Vital Voices Solidarity Award from Joe Biden in 2013.

For nearly 20 years, they’ve been on the ground. Rescuing women. Fighting legal battles. Standing up to power, no matter how dangerous it gets.

“If we don’t do it, who will?” The Kant brothers have saved thousands of women and children. And they’re still fighting, because every life matters.

Know someone in trouble? Call Shakti Vahini. Share this story. Speak up.