Professor Saraswati Raju Iyer

Saraswati Raju Iyer, Ph.D., U.G.C.-N.E.T., S.L.E.T, D.Litt is Professor of Sociology and Social Work at Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India. She is the Research Guide for M.Phil and Ph.D. scholars and a Member of the Board of Studies at Maris Stella College, the Dr. G. R. Damodaran College of Science, Adi Kavi Nannaya University, and Acharya Nagarjuna University. She is also a Reviewer for the International Journal of Culture and History.

Saraswati’s Research Areas include Social Welfare and Social Development, Psychological Counseling, Gender issues, HIV/AIDS, Marginalized communities, and Child rights and Disability. She was awarded The Best Citizens of India Award 2011 by the International Publishing House. Read CoACT News Bulletin on Anti Human Trafficking issues released by Additional DGP CID Sri. P. V. Sunil Kumar I. P. S. and ANU Professors invited for UN conference in May.

Previously, Saraswati was the Head of the Department of Sociology and Social Work, Member of the Executive Council & Academic Council, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Director of IQAC, Coordinator of Community Social Responsibility, and Coordinator of University Grants Commission (UGC-SWAYAM) at Acharya Nagarjuna University, India.

She developed 18 lessons/lectures for SWAYAM – Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs), an initiative under the National Mission on Education through Information & Communication Technology (ICT) of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India and Department of Higher Education by the Consortium for Educational Communication (CEC) in Social Work.

Saraswati visited the Netherlands to participate in the inauguration of the Global Seafood Watch Advisory Group. She has been a NAAC Peer Team Member, Bangalore since 2019.

Saraswati earned her Ph.D. in 2002 from Osmania University with her thesis Stress, Anger, Myocardial Infarction-Its Relationship, Management & Counselling. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work in 1990 and a Master’s Degree in Social Work in 1992, both from Osmania University. She was awarded the Honorary Doctorate Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) by the University of South America and recommended by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan Research & Development Center in India.

Saraswati also earned a State Level Eligibility Test for Lecturership, a National Eligibility Test for lecturership conducted by UGC, a Certificate course in Guidance, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Psychological counseling from Osmania University. Read Management of Organizations and Social Action Master Of Social Work.

She was an Arts Representative of the Acharya Nagarjuna University Teachers Association (2008–2013), a Member of the Anti-Ragging Monitoring Cell (University level), Public Information Officer (Right to Information Act, 2005) at Acharya Nagarjuna University, and Organized Workshops for Lecturers on Accompanying Girls Students In Their Growth Process.

Saraswati is the Author of Status of Marginalized Women in the Unorganized Sector and Coauthor of Gender Justice — Of The Women, For The Women, By The Women, both translated into Portuguese, Spanish, German, and Italian Editions.

In 2016, she Authored Indian Society: Problems and Issues in which she covers Social Pathology, Socio-Cultural Issues, Child Abuse including child labor, Human Trafficking including prostitution, problems of Scheduled Castes and problems of Scheduled Tribes, Socio-Economic Issues of society namely Poverty, Population Explosion, and Migration.

She also discusses Familial Issues such as Domestic Issues like dowry, divorce, wife battering, and problems of the aged, delves into Disorganization Issues like Social Disorganization which includes individual and family disorganization, Substance Abuse deals with alcoholism and drug abuse, Juvenile Delinquency, and Suicide.

Saraswati worked and collaborated on different Research Projects with multiple foreign faculties and Universities. She did research collaborations with Global Seafood Watch; The George Institute of International Health, affiliated to Sydney University, Melbourne, Australia; Karl Kubel Stiftung; UNICEF, Childfund International; Global Fund Foundation; Darkness to Light, South Carolina, USA; Humanist Action for Human Rights (HAMU) – Norwegian Humanist Association, Norway; and Strength Based Social Work Practice, Brisbane, Australia.

She was Principal Investigator for the Baseline survey of 400 families of 6 villages for the Buffalo Scheme for the Victims of Tsunami, a Consultant on the Impact of HIV/AIDS on Women, and a Member of the Fact-Finding Team, Allegation on Child Trafficking and Sexual Abuse of Children in Vocational Junior College Hostel.

She was Project Director of A Study on Counselling for the Women Infected by HIV/AIDS, Consultant on Micro Analysis of Gaps And Hand washing Behaviors in Selected 20 Villages of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka for UNICEF, and Consultant for the Socio-Economic Baseline Study in shrimp farming communities in Andhra Pradesh, India for the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch, California, USA.

Read her Women Trafficking in India — A Critical Analysis, Honour Killing — Crime against Mankind, and Study reveals 37% of children affected by sexual exploitation in Andhra are out of school. Read Teachers’ Role And Responsibility In Promotion Of Nutritional Status Among Adolescent Girls – An Analytical Study.

Visit her LinkedIn profile and her Academic page. Follow her on Academia, Facebook, and Instagram. Follow her Social Work Department at Maris Stella College.