Therese Boje Mortensen

Therese Boje Mortensen is a PhD student in Human Rights Studies at Lund University. She holds a BA in South Asian Studies from Copenhagen University, and an MA in Human Rights and Democratisation from the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation. Under the umbrella of global-local dynamics related to the Convention on the Rights of the Child in India, her research has been concerned with topics such as human rights education in the cultural context of Rajasthan, and local perceptions of institutional care of children.

Her PhD project is concerned with the role of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) as de facto ‘duty bearers’ of human rights, specifically children’s protection rights in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Through an ethnographic study of ChildLine, a 24-hour helpline for children, Therese explores how children’s rights are affected in practice when significant aspects of child protection are left dependent on local NGOs; and discusses the notion of “universal human rights” in a context where the state retreats as the de facto duty bearer.

As a SASNET affiliated researcher, Therese plans to publish articles within SASNET’s outlets as well as organise and participate in academic events focused on India and human rights.