Meet ElsaMarie D'Silva
ElsaMarie D'Silva (pronouns: she/her) is the founder of the Red Dot Foundation in India and the president of the Red Dot Foundation Global in the U.S. She created the technology platform Safecity, which crowdsources personal experiences of sexual violence and abuse in global public and private spaces. Since its launch in 2012, Safecity has become the largest crowd map on sexual violence and abuse in India and abroad. She is also the co-founder of the Brave Movement, a coalition to end global childhood sexual abuse, Beyond Black, a social enterprise that leverages arts for good and Gender Alliance, where she established a cross-network initiative that unites feminists across various German networks.
For her work, ElsaMarie has been recognized by various organizations and governments, such as the UN Secretary General, the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, the German Federal Foreign Office and more. She has served as a W7 advisor during the German G7 Presidency and has been named a fellow for the Yale World Fellowship and the Reagan Fascell Democracy Fellowship as well as earning other esteemed honors.
ElsaMarie is an alumna of several prestigious programs, including the Stanford Draper Hills Summer School, the U.S. State Department's Fortune Mentoring Program, Oxford Chevening Gurukul and the Duke of Edinburgh's Commonwealth Leadership Program. These programs have provided opportunities for professional development, networking, and leadership training, which have helped shape her career and contributions to sexual violence prevention and advocacy.
ElsaMarie has penned articles for CNN, Huffington Post, theWIP.net and has spoken at events such as the Rotary International Assembly, Aspen Ideas Festival, TEDxMidAtlantic and for UN Women. She has also co-edited and authored books such as The Demographic Dividend, Power of Youth and Decolonising Development in South Asia. ElsaMarie is also part of the series She Is, which aims to showcase women's leadership in various fields.