A brief profile of General Secretary Mr. Gauri Pradhan

Founder President, CWIN

Convener, South Asian Regional Forum on the Rights of Child.

Secretary General, National Labour Academy.

President, Defence for Children International - Nepal (DCI-Nepal).

Founder Member, South Asian Coalition Against Child Servitude (SAACS).

Executive Member, Public Health Concern Trust (phect-NEPAL).

Adviser, Nepal Blind Association.

Founder member, Children at Risk Network Group (CAR-NWG).

Gauri Pradhan was born on 5 August 1962 in Chautara, Sindhupalchok, Nepal. He did his schooling in Sidhupalchowk and higher studies in Kathmandu. He has done his Masters in Business Administration and Bachellor in Law from Tribhuvan University.

Immediately after graduating from university, Gauri Pradhan envisioned the establishment of child rights organisation in Nepal. It was a time when Nepal was reeling under the repression of tyrannical political system. He was a student activist fighting for student's rights, and against human rights abuse and social injustice prevailing in the nation. It was an era when NGO movement had not yet taken root, and social work was limited to a few charity actions strictly under the government bureaucracy. The issues of child rights, child labour, child abuse, bonded labour, trafficking in women and child marriage were unheard of. They were non-issues.

Gauri Pradhan and some of his colleagues, who came from a varied academic background, decided to act on the issues of child rights with special focus on child labour exploitation. This was something which was not done before, children's issues were undermined and neglected inspite of having a direct stake on the nation's future. After a year-long discussion and deliberations, CWIN was finally founded on the 1st of January 1987.

Gauri Pradhan is the founder president of the young organisation which came to being with a fresh approach to social work, defying the convention of charity and heralding the new concept of rights, empowerment and activism. With relentless effort, unfailing dedication and serious commitment, Gauri Pradhan lead the organisation for over a decade. Along side his committed colleagues, he realised the important task of translating the non-issue of child rights into an established social and political agenda. He provided effective leadership in leading a small, local voluntary group to the national level organisation with international recognition in considerably short span of time.

Currently, Gauri Pradhan holds the office in CWIN as its President. He is at the same time affiliated with a number of human rights and social organisations in different capacities. He is the Convener of South Asian Regional Forum on the Rights of Child. Secretary General of National Labour Academy. President of Defence for Children International - Nepal (DCI-Nepal). Founder Member of South Asian Coalition Against Child Servitude (SAACS). Executive Member of Public Health Concern Trust (phect-NEPAL). Adviser for Nepal Blind Association. Founder member of a number of organisations for children at risk including Children at Risk Network Group (CAR-NWG).

In different times, he has held different positions. President of University Students' Union from 1983-1985. National Convener of ANNFSU from 1984-1985. Secretary of FOPHUR-Nepal from 1986-1991. Executive Coordinator of NEOC (National Election Observation Committee) in 1991. Co-ordinator of Street Children's Project Review Team in Sri Lanka in 1992. Convener of National Council of Women and Children, Technical Committee on Children, HMG/Nepal in 1996. Founder President of Children at Risk Networking Group (CAR-NWG) from 1992-1997. He coordinated several international exchange programmes and international seminar- workshops.

Gauri Pradhan is the editor of Voice of Child Workers (quarterly English magazine), Bal Sarokar (monthly Nepali magazine) and annual report State of the Rights of the Child in Nepal. He is a writer and a pioneer resource person in the issues of Child Rights, Human Rights, Child Labour, Trafficking in Women and Children, Juvenile Justice and Labour Issues. He has written, edited and published several books. Some of his selected publications are: Misery Behind the Looms (1993), Child Labour in Nepal (1993), Trafficking in Young Girls in Across Indo-Nepal Border (1992), Back Home from Brothels (1996 & 1997), Juvenile Justice in Nepal (under publication, 1998), Unfair and Exploitative Labour Relations (1998) and over 200 working papers and articles on the issues of children, women and human rights issues.

Gauri Pradhan has had several professional training on Human Rights, Management, Early Childhood Care, Child Rights, Child Labour, Development Partnership, Leadership and Gender. He has attended numerous international seminars, symposiums, workshops and conferences on human rights, children, women and other social issues in the capacity of a participant and/or resource person.

He has travelled extensively, having visited a large number of countries around the world including United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, China, Finland, Holland, Switzerland, Cambodia Thailand, Iraq, The Philippines, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Italy , Sweden, South Africa, Pakistan, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and others.

He is single and lives in Kathmandu.