Part of her name means peace and bravery, and Mary Shanthi Dairiam has certainly lived up to that, spending the better part of her life tirelessly advocating for women's rights. The founding director of the International Women’s Rights Action Watch? Asia Pacific (IWRAW-Asia Pacific), she has served as an expert assisting key UN agencies, including the United Nations’ Gender Equality Task Force on the Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) committee from 2004 to 2008. In conjunction with Human Rights Day, we speak to Shanthi to track her journey from English teacher to activist, and discuss why this octogenarian continues to fight against inequality.

Image credit: Tatler Asia