Sunitha Krishnan (born 1972) is an Indian social activist and chief functionary and co-founder of Prajwala, a non-governmental organization that rescues, rehabilitates and reintegrates sex-trafficked victims into society.

After obtaining a bachelor's degree in environmental sciences from St. Joseph's College in Bangalore, Krishnan completed her MSW (medical & psychiatric) from Roshni Nilaya, Mangalore.

When the homes of people living by the city's Musi River were slated to be bulldozed for a "beautification" project, she joined the housing rights campaign of PIN, organized protests and stalled the scheme.It was in Hyderabad that she met Brother Jose Vetticatil, who was then Director of Boys’ Town, a Catholic Institution run by the Montfort Brothers of St. Gabriel, that rehabilitated and trained young people at risk by providing them vocational skills that fetched them handsome jobs in India and abroad[2][8] This was in 1996.

Having found a like-minded person in Brother Jose Vetticatil, a missionary, Krishnan started a transition school at the vacated brothel to prevent the second generation from being trafficked.

[10] To date, Prajwala has rescued, rehabilitated, or served over 28,600 survivors of sex trafficking,[11][12] and the scale of their operations makes them the largest anti-trafficking shelter in the world.

The scheme, which was originally drafted by Krishnan, is coordinated by various government departments like social welfare, SC/ST, police, health, labor and local self-government in collaboration with NGOs.

[21] In March 2015, in a "move of repentance" the government re-inducted Sunitha Krishnan back to its Nirbhaya scheme by giving her more decision-making power through the role of Honorary Director.

[24] She was also appointed as a member of the Andhra Pradesh State Women's Commission[25] and contributed to India's new Bill on Rape, which was passed in Parliament in 2013[26] to increase punitive measures for sexual violence and assault.

[29] Krishnan has also conducted sensitization workshops for thousands of senior police officers, judges, prosecutors and Child Welfare Committee members[30] to equip them with the requisite understanding and skills to effectively handle cases of human trafficking and advocate for child-friendly courts.

[36] In 2009, Krishnan gave a speech during an official TED India conference about the cause of human trafficking at Infosys Campus, Mysore, which has since inspired over 2.5 million viewers globally.

"[38]Her July 2012 appearance on Aamir Khan’s television show Satyamev Jayate was instrumental in not only garnering huge funds but also networking with business owners willing to provide job placements for survivors.

She conceptualized and scripted 14 documentary films on socially relevant issues such as youth and HIV/AIDS, Sheikh marriages, incest, prostitution, sex trafficking, communal riots, among others.

[52] In January 2013, Ms. Krishnan in collaboration with Suntouch Productions launched a bilingual feature film on sex trafficking titled Ente in Malayalam and Naa Bangaaru Talli in Telugu.

[56] In 2002, Krishnan and Bro Jose Vetticatil conducted an action research and publication of a document entitled The Shattered Innocence on inter-state trafficking from Andhra Pradesh to other states, revealing the reality and magnitude of the crime along with a demographic profile of vulnerable communities.

The media picked up the story, presenting one-sided information, insinuating that Prajwala had been defaming Muslim women in order to access foreign funds.