Priyanka Dubey, India

Priyanka Dubey had an Indian childhood of sharp contrasts. Her family was traditional, but her education modern. Even today, her work is also marked by what appears to be a sharp divide. As a reporter with the respected magazine Tehelka, she writes innovative travel features that uncover an India many are unaware of. The other side of her work sees her shining a light on less savory issues like state corruption, violence against women and human trafficking.

As an award-winning investigative reporter, Dubey's aim is to document and understand the systemic discrimination that is pushing vulnerable sections of the population, such as women, children and other minorities, to the fringes of Indian society.

In reporting "Where do the missing children of Delhi go?" Dubey took on a big task and substantial risk. She wanted to find out what was happening to some of the Indian children who simply go missing. What she found was a well-organized network of child traffickers who pick up kids from the city’s slums and railway stations and sell them to sugarcane farmers. The children are forced to work for years without pay and descend into a world of abuse and even torture. For some of her reporting, she posed as a researcher and visited regions where women have little status. Had she been found out, her life could have well been in danger. Her story exposes the dark side of India’s sugar crop and the negligent attitude of many law enforcement authorities.

Link to story "Where do the missing children of Delhi go?"