Uma Chatterjee
Ashoka 2022'ten beri   |   India

Uma Chatterjee

This description of Uma Chatterjee's work was prepared when Uma Chatterjee was elected to the Ashoka Fellowship in 2022.

Introduction

Uma Chatterjee is putting survivors of trafficking at the center of India’s anti-trafficking movement. She is catalyzing them to become first-generation leaders, entrepreneurs and policy advocates who change the narratives and practices of their sector. These ‘survivor-changemakers’ are setting upDevamını oku

The New Idea

Every year, more than 23,000 victims are rescued from trafficking in India. Ironically, this marks the start of their second cycle of entrapment. Rescued victims, mostly youth between the ages of 17-26, are holed up in custodial institutions or shelter homes for years, as they wait for aDevamını oku

The Problem

It is estimated that close to 8 million Indians live in conditions of modern slavery. A majority of this segment comprise children and young adults who are trafficked for sex work, forced labor, domestic servitude, and organ transplant. A small section of this community is rescued andDevamını oku

The Strategy

For Uma, survivors of trafficking are experts of their unique lived experience. By unlocking their potential, the anti-trafficking sector will only stand to benefit from survivor-centric and survivor-led innovations and narratives.

The first step in Uma’s strategy is to build survivor peerDevamını oku

The Person

From a clinical psychologist to a transformational leadership coach for young survivors of trafficking - Uma’s story shares many common patterns with the leaders she has launched.

With her father serving in the army, Uma moved to multiple cities and towns in quick succession through her growing-Devamını oku