Varsha Deshpande Wins 2025 UN Population Award
Varsha Deshpande, an advocate from Satara, Maharashtra, has won the 2025 United Nations Population Award for her lifelong work in promoting gender equality and preventing sex-selective abortions. The award was presented on World Population Day (July 11, 2025) in New York, recognizing her powerful campaigns to protect the girl child and uplift Dalit women in India.
Varsha Deshpande is the secretary of Dalit Mahila Vikas Mandal, which she founded in 1990. For over three decades, she has fought against gender-biased sex selection and worked to improve the lives of women and girls, especially from marginalized communities.
She is known for her bold sting operations to expose illegal practices linked to sex-selective abortions, as well as her active role in implementing the PCPNDT Act, a law that prevents such practices in India. Deshpande’s initiatives have also included campaigns against child marriage, legal reforms, and programmes to support women’s financial independence.
At a special event in New York, Deshpande received the award on July 11, 2025, marking the 40th year of the UN Population Award. She said the honour is not just personal but belongs to all who work for social justice and women’s rights.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) praised her for tackling deep-rooted issues like discrimination based on gender, caste, and religion. Andrea M Wojnar, UNFPA India Representative, said Deshpande’s efforts have made a lasting impact on reproductive rights and dignity for women and girls.
The UN Population Award was set up in 1981 and first given in 1983. Every year, the award is presented to individuals or groups who have made major contributions in population and reproductive health. The winner receives a gold medal, a diploma, and a cash prize. This year, Varsha Deshpande is the individual category winner.
One of the key goals of the award is to shine a light on the work of people like Deshpande, whose grassroots activism helps bring real change in society.
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