RAJESH MANI

Activist | Human Rights, Child Protection, Safe Migration & Community Resilience Systems | Founder, Madad Foundation

Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India

About

Rooted in a lifelong commitment to dignity and justice, my work has focused on protecting the most vulnerable - especially children and migrants at risk of exploitation and harm. Over more than 25 years, I have worked across human rights, child protection, safe migration, and community resilience in high-risk contexts, including crisis and cross-border settings. This has included strengthening protection systems with communities, institutions, and authorities to prevent exploitation and enable safer pathways. This journey has been recognized through empanelment as an Anti-Human Trafficking expert with national institutions, including the Ministry of Home Affairs and the National Commission for Women, Government of India. I founded Madad to translate these commitments into durable, field-rooted protection and resilience systems.

Experience

  • Founder at Madad Foundation
    Aug 2025 - Present · 11 mos

  • Director at Manav Seva Sansthan 'SEVA'
    Apr 1996 - Apr 2025 · 29 yrs 1 mo