Born and raised in Mumbai, Uma Subramanian always wanted to be a doctor and serve the rural areas. “As I grew up, I realised that I am more of a field person. Since I used to be active in extracurricular activities, one of my teachers suggested a career in social work. So I pursued a Master’s degree in social work, so that I could stand up for a cause and work extensively,” recalls Uma, who started off with Pratham, an NGO in Mumbai, where she worked to protect vulnerable children.
Soon, the Collector of Guntur District requested the organisation to curb child trafficking in Bapatla, and Uma was sent on the task. “It was very challenging. We observed that there were several children who were working as child labourers and not going to school. With the help of engineering students who worked as volunteers, in 2007, we started the rehabilitation programmes and rescued more than 2000 children,” recounts Uma.
But being a Tamilian, how did she cope with the language (Telugu)? “My husband, who was my boyfriend then, is a Telugu guy and helped me with the language,” she says.
After successfully demonstrating the task force model for vulnerable children, Uma got nationwide recognition. The then Labour Commissioner of Hyderabad requested her to initiate rescue and rehabilitation programmes for domestic child labour in Hyderabad. “We helped the Labour department in planning a rescue operation in areas like Charminar, which has a lot of child labour. We implemented techniques and strategies (like convincing the employer, dialogue with children, parents, etc.) which we earlier implemented in Mumbai and Bapatla. Our main focus was on rescue and rehabilitation for mainstream education of these children,” says Uma.
In 2014, Uma started her own foundation — Aarambh India, and launched the country’s first Internet hotline against child sexual abuse and exploitation. “We held discussions with all the technology companies and service providers, along with the Ministry of Information and Technology and launched the hotline service. We are also fighting against child pornography and imagery, in association with Internet Watch Foundation,” she says.
Uma is glad that the Government of India has recognised their efforts. “We have identified a list of more than 3500 child porn websites. The Union Government recently approved this list in a major step to tackle child pornography in India,” she shares.
“We are happy for the recognition, but this is just the beginning and we have a long way to go,” concludes Uma.
