Journalist, activist and president of the Rescue Foundation, Acharya is committed to the rescue, rehabilitation, and repatriation of trafficked women and children and the prosecution of the perpetrators.  

Acharya was a journalist in Mumbai, when she and her husband, Balkrishna Acharya, became interested in the plight of young girls forced into prostitution. They began to help victims of kidnapping and trafficking, and eventually established the Rescue Foundation. Acharya assumed the helm after her husband’s death in 2005.

With the cooperation of local police, the Rescue Foundation is responsible for the release of roughly 150 girls each year. Approximately 20% of the girls are HIV positive. Most have other serious sexually transmitted diseases and infections. In addition to physical and psychological trauma, rescued girls are subjected to intense social stigmatization and those from Nepal and Bangladesh face citizenship issues. The Rescue Foundation offers protective homes and rehabilitation services in Mumbai, Delhi and Pune and supports between 200-300 annually.

Rescue Foundation raids have resulted in the arrest of brothel keepers as well as human traffickers. Acharya is under constant threat from the criminals behind these sex trafficking rings, yet she perseveres.

In 2016 Acharya was recognized as one of 100 Women Achievers by the President of India. She  and the Rescue Foundation have been honored by World of Children, the Taiwan Democracy and Human Rights Award, and the Stree Shakti Award.