天美影视传媒

Sutapa Basu, PhD

Director, Alene Moris Women鈥檚 Center, 天美影视传媒

Read Sutapa’s Welcome Message

Sutapa Basu, Ph.D. is the executive director of the 天美影视传媒 Alene Moris Women鈥檚 Center, a vital place where women and men partner to build a community culture of gender equity. Under Dr. Basu鈥檚 leadership, the UW Women鈥檚 Center is one of the country鈥檚 largest university-based women鈥檚 centers. Dr. Basu is recognized as a global leader and advocate for women鈥檚 issues, girls鈥� education, gender equality, sustainable development, and human rights, particularly for those who have been victims of human trafficking abuse. Her areas of academic specialization are women in developing economies and international development, and she addresses these topics through the lenses of post-colonial feminism and anti-racism. Ending global human trafficking and violence against women and children are central goals of her research and activism. Committed to marrying her scholarship and professional praxis Dr. Basu ensures that through educational, professional, and personal support programs, women and girls have the choices and material resources to make the best decisions for their future.

In 2001, under Dr. Basu鈥檚 leadership, the UW Moris Women鈥檚 Center hosted the first-ever anti-human trafficking conference attended by over 300 participants in Washington state. Because of Dr. Basu鈥檚 anti-human trafficking work in India, extensive activism, and scholarship, human trafficking was framed as a public health issue at this pioneering conference. This was a vital intervention within the fields of public health, anti-trafficking legislation, and political economy. As Dr. Basu stated in her opening keynote speech, 鈥渁 public health focus helps make the cost of this illegal but profitable trade more visible. There is a great need for more intervention and services to deal with the health problems of trafficked women.鈥� Since this conference, health has become one of the major frameworks for contextualizing human trafficking. Dr. Basu has also helped create the first statewide anti-trafficking task force and legislation, established/implemented in 2003 and 2005, respectively. Following Washington state鈥檚 lead, similar legislation has passed in all 50 states.聽Read more about the legislation

Dr. Basu鈥檚 lifetime work is grounded in a dedication to empowering women to take leadership roles, demand better working conditions, and to seek support against domestic violence, as well as improving education and family health for women and children. She is committed to implementing this ethos in every aspect of her life, including her role as a mentor. Dr. Basu is proud to have mentored many women over the years and continues to provide guidance and support to the next generation of women leaders.聽 In her words: 鈥淲omen worldwide need support systems, and many have taken on leadership roles that have defied cultural norms. In every society, women account for nearly two-thirds of aggregate labor. Despite the inequities, we are seeing women taking on more responsible roles and leadership positions in civil societies鈥�.

Dr. Basu has received many awards for her advocacy and advancement of women in society, including:

Awards

• United Nations Human Rights Award
• Women of Inspiration, Seattle Storms
• Florence Merrick Award, North West Women鈥檚 Law Center
• Women Helping Women Award, Soroptimist International
• Woman of Year Award, Northwest Asian Weekly
• Community Voice Award, International Examiner
• Role Model Empowering Young Women as Leaders, Women of Color Empowered
• Excellence Award, The Junior League of Seattle for commitment to service in the Greater Seattle Community

 

Dr. Basu serves on many boards and committees on the UW campus and Washington state community, see below for a selected list.

Public Service

• After School Girl鈥檚 project Board;
• Anti-Dowry Movement, India, Board Member and Volunteer;
• Asian Pacific Women鈥檚 Caucus;
• Association for Women鈥檚 Rights in Development (AWID) 9th International Forum, Guadalajara, Mexico;
• DARSHN (Microcredit organization for women) Advisory Board;
• Diversity Committee, 天美影视传媒;
• Every Women鈥檚 Delegation to Cuba, Member of the Delegation;
• Executive Ethics Board, State of Washington, appointed by Governor Gary Locke;
• Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, China, Representative of the 天美影视传媒;
• Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center Community Advisory Council Board;
• HEAL TRAFFICKING (Health, Education, Advocacy, Linkage) Board Member;
• Indian American Political Advocacy Council;
• International Women鈥檚 Forum;
• KCTS Advisory Board;
• King County Civil Rights Commissioner, appointed by Governor Gary Locke;
• King County Women鈥檚 Programs, appointed by King County Councilmember Ron Sims;
• Leading a case study in Kerala, India, examining the effects of trafficking on local women;
• Northwest Women鈥檚 Law Center;
• Pan Asian International Women鈥檚 Coalition;
• President鈥檚 Advisory Committee on Women of Color;
• President鈥檚 Advisory Committee on Women, 天美影视传媒, appointed by UW President;
• Special Committee on Faculty Women, 天美影视传媒, appointed by Chair of UW Faculty Senate; 听听听听听听听听听听聽 听听听听听听听听听听
• The Bankura Women鈥檚 Samities Co-op Program, West Bengal, India: Worked with Women and Community-Supported Agriculture in the Villages;
• The National Science Foundation (NSF) ADVANCE Center for Institutional Change, 天美影视传媒;
• UW Department of Global Health Resource Center Advisory Board;
• UW Women鈥檚 Center Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force;
• Voice of People Organization: Program Development and Fund Raiser, India;
• Washington state Task Force Against the Trafficking of Persons;
• Women + Business, Board;
• Women in Academia Council;
• Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO), Affiliate Participate in their annual meetings. Advise on issues regarding Indian women and work;
• Women of Vision, Power and Potential Conference, 天美影视传媒;

 

Publications

• Forthcoming book documenting experiences of immigrant women in Washington state (天美影视传媒 Press)
• 鈥淗uman Trafficking and Supply Chains: Report to Legislature.鈥� (Washington Department of Commerce 2017)
• “Sex, money, brutality.” Contexts Magazine (American Sociological Association 2014)
• 鈥淗uman trafficking and Bangladesh factories鈥� Seattle Times 2013
• 鈥淭rafficking in Women and Children,鈥� in Race, Culture, Psychology and Law,鈥� K. Barett and W. George, editors (Sage Publications 2005).
• 鈥淭rafficking of Women and Children: Challenges and Solutions,鈥� Conference Proceedings (天美影视传媒 2002).
• 鈥淢acroeconomic Policies: Effects on Women鈥檚 Lives in India,鈥� Sisters of Color International Journal, (November 2000).
• 鈥淧ioneering Hindu Women in India: Overcoming Barriers and Claiming Their Places in Today鈥檚 Society,鈥� in Remarkable Women Perspectives on Female Talent Development, K. Arnold, K. Noble and R. Subotnik, editors (Hampton Press 1996).