Ms. Radhakrishnan has been instrumental in advancing GJC’s programmatic and strategic goals over the past eight years. She spearheaded GJC’s efforts to: ensure justice for sexual violence in conflict in countries including Burma, Iraq and Nigeria; train and support grassroots actors in international human rights law; and challenge US abortion restrictions on foreign assistance, including the Helms Amendment and the Global Gag Rule. She has authored numerous shadow reports, legal briefs and advocacy documents and provided legal expertise to domestic and international stakeholders and policymakers, including the International Criminal Court, the United Nations, the European Union and state governments.
In 2010, Ms. Radhakrishnan helped to conceptualize GJC’s campaign to ensure access to abortion services for girls and women raped in war and has since led the project’s legal and advocacy efforts. Since its launch, the campaign has had tremendous successes including the recognition that abortion is protected medical care under international humanitarian law by the governments of the UK, the Netherlands and France, the European Union Commission and Parliament, the UN Security Council, and the UN Secretary-General.
Ms. Radhakrishnan worked closely with GJC’s founder Janet Benshoof to develop GJC’s innovative legal arguments and advocate for the implementation of progressive policies that advance gender equality in both the law and in practice. “We are confident not only in Akila’s ability to ensure the sustainability and viability of GJC for years to come, but also in her ability to meaningfully advance Janet’s relentless and uncompromising quest for equality and justice,” says Higgins.
Prior to joining GJC in 2010, Ms. Radhakrishnan worked at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, DPK Consulting and Drinker, Biddle & Reath, LLP. She received her J.D. with a concentration in international law from the University of California, Hastings and holds a B.A. in Political Science and Art History from the University of California, Davis.
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