ABOUT

WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO

Because child protection is a collective responsibility.

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The statistics on sex offences against children in India are grim. A 2007 report on Child Abuse by the Department of Women & Child Welfare purports that 53% of children suffer sexual assault. The true scope of this issue is understood as even larger. But the big picture remains vague due to a lack of accurate data. There is little clarity among citizens on how to prevent sexual offences against children & how to deal with the law. All this is set against a culture of silence and taboo around sexual offences against children and a rising graph of crimes.

In India, there are few individuals and non-governmental organizations working on the issue of sexual offences against children. Most focus on preventive aspects. Smaller NGOs and networks do not have access to updated information and networks to support their work. There is a need to strengthen child protection services especially for unprivileged communities, support victims and families through rehabilitation, facilitate network building and promote a culture of collaboration around this issue.

The RATI Foundation for Social Change is based out of Mumbai and primarily works to create spaces & communities where children are safe from sexual violence. Towards this vision, we develop and implement a wide range of strategies including provision of on-ground victim support, working on digital safety, strengthening of child protection systems in government as well as civil society institutions, training of stakeholders, conducting evidence-based advocacy with policymakers, network building of organizations across the country, development of communication resources & research. RATI is commited to demonstration & on ground implementation of national & international best practices in child protection. In partnership with the UK based IWF, we also run India’s first internet hotline to report Child Sexual Abuse Material found on the interent. A program of RATI titled ‘The Aarambh India Initiaitive’ was awarded the prestigious Presidential National Award for Child Welfare in the Institutions category.

POSITIONS & DEFINITIONS

Child

We consider any person below the age of 18 years to be a child in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989, the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000 and the Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012.

Child Sexual Abuse

In accordance with the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012, we consider any act of sexual violation against children, penetrative or non-penetrative, touch or non-touch, aggravated or non-aggravated in nature that could include sexual assault, sexual harassment and pornography, as Child Sexual Abuse. Abetment and attempt to commit an offence is also an offence.

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Team
  • Uma Subramanian
  • Persis Sidhva
  • Siddharth Pillai
  • Pallavi R
  • Sameer Ahmad
Advisory Board
  • Francesco Caruso
  • Rohit Tote
  • Lisa Genasci

Collaboration is at the heart of our work. At Aarambh India we believe in building strong institutional partnerships to ensure maximum impact on the issue.

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The British Asian Trust

In March 2017, the British Asian Trust started supporting the Aarambh India initiative with the aim of Strengthening the National Resource Centre on Prevention of Sexual Offences against Children. The partnership aims at helping relevant stakeholders across India working on prevention of Sexual Offences Against Children through resources, materials and access to regional resource centres. Under the project we are building regional resource centres in those areas of India where information on this issue is hard to come by. We build capacities of regional Stakeholders (NGOs, parents, teachers, police, child protection services who are connected to have access to resources, information & training on CSA in regional languages and are part of a country-wide network.

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Internet Watch Foundation

In 2016, we partnered with the UK-based Internet Watch Foundation to create India’s first reporting hotline for child sexual abuse imagery online. By utilizing the IWF’s Hotline facility, we providesa full hotline service to Indian citizens. IWF receives, assesses and traces Indian reports, and takes appropriate action. We will use the information provided to them by the IWF for advocacy and research pertaining to online child sexual abuse in India and in some cases, support the law enforcement in the process of investigation and prosecution. Under the partnership we have engaged with the internet industry, civil society organisations, Government agencies and Cyber Crime cells to device a comprehensive mechanism of prevention, reporting and elimination of online child sex abuse images.

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Stairway Foundation

Stairway Foundation based in the Philippines was established in 1990, to protect the most marginalized and endangered street children from abuse & exploitation. Stairway initiated the Break the Silence campaign against Child Sexual Abuse with a strong focus on training and sensitizing the Philippine National Police, Social Workers, Teachers, along with multiple non-government organizations (NGOs). Stairway started the Break the Silence Network to reach a greater number of organizations and cover a wider geographical area in terms of Child Protection. Starting out training only 8 partners back in 2008, the BTS Network anno 2015 counts 53 partners spread over 9 regions nationwide. RATI is the network partner for the campaign in India.

1. Training & Workshops

We train and work with individuals who have a direct stake in child protection. Since 2012, we have trained more than 2000 individuals; which include parents (from underprivileged as well as well-to-do communities), teachers, journalists, police officers, District Child Protection Units, students of social work, NGOs etc. We train groups to deal with the issue of Child Sexual Abuse & Exploitation in the larger context of child protection. Our current modules are:

  • Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse & Exploitation: This module on how to prevent Child Sexual Abuse was adapted from the Internationally acclaimed ‘Break the Silence’ Campaign of the Philippine based Stairway Foundation. The campaign is currently operational in Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand and India.
  • Legal Module: This module can help you to use and implement the law on Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 to protect children.
  • Child Protection Policy for Organizations: This module helps organizations/schools/institutions to organically come up with their own in-house child protection policy best suited to their on-ground needs while still conforming to minimum standards of care & protection.
  • Handling Disclosures of Child Sexual Abuse & Exploitation: This module supports individuals and organizations on how to react, respond and report cases of sexual abuse & exploitation of children.
  • Online Safety: An easy guide that can help you protect children of all ages from the threats of online sex abuse, bullying and harassment and empower you to guide them towards utilizing the power of the internet in  a constructive and positive manner.
  • Covering Cases of CSA: This module supports reporters on understanding ethical issues and basic dos & don’ts while reporting cases of CSA.
2. Creating Child Friendly Systems

For a child victim of sexual offences the first points of contact with the government systems are hospitals, Police or the Child Welfare Committees (CWCs). Most of the times, systems are not equipped with the necessary infrastructure, skills or human resources to provide a proper response to the children who are victims of sexual offences and need of care and protection.

3. Care & Support

We intervene in specific cases of sexual offences against children by providing legal aid and services of a social worker to look into judicial processes, rehabilitation and psycho-social support for survivors. Comprehensive rehabilitation of child victims is at the heart of our case management program. We ensure that every child who is referred to us not only gets counselling support but also compensation, education and other services. We collaborate and support other organizations in case management through sharing of knowledge, resources and referrals.

4. Research

Our research unit focuses on key areas of child sexual abuse and exploitation

5. Online Resource Centre

www.aarambhindia.org is India’s first online resource centre on Child Sexual Abuse. It is an attempt to create a comprehensive, interactive and up-to-date resource pool and directory. It encompasses everything from the fundamentals of Child Sexual Abuse to its various complexities. The online platform will help us reach out to the widest possible audience.

Since its launch in November 2014, 31 organisations across the world have registered on our safety network. More than 19,000 people have visited the web portal and accessedthe resources and information on child protection.

6. Advocacy

On-ground evidence is used as basis for advocacy with the State and the Central Governments.

7. National Hotline for Reporting Child Sexual Abuse Imagery

In May 2016, in partnership with Internet Watch Foundation we launched India’s 1st reporting button for child sexual abuse images and videos on the Internet. The reporting button enables citizens of India to report child sexual abuse images and videos in a safe and anonymous environment. If the content is found to be illegal it will be blocked and taken down irrespective of where it is being hosted. The hotline also works with law enforcement on certain cases. National Hotline for Reporting Child Sexual Abuse Imagery works closely with government, police and internet industry in India.

The program strengthens the knowledge of NGO and community leaders to better prevent, respond and protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation. The pilot program is being implemented across communities where trained young leaders are working with mothers, children, local groups, hospitals and police.

Siddharth Pillai

Siddharth P

Co-Founder & Director

At RATI, Siddharth takes forward the digital safety and resource center activities. Prior to this, he has worked with Video Volunteers and Centre for Information & Development Studies (CIEDS). Between 2008 and 2010, he was the co-editor of the academic magazine Deep Focus. He curated the ‘Cinema of Resistance’ package for World Social Forum 2007, Nairobi and was the festival coordinator and curator for Voices from the Waters, one of the largest environmental film festivals in India between 2007 and 2010.

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Persis Sidhva

Persis Sidhva

Director

Persis is a child rights and women’s rights lawyer and has represented woman & children in cases of domestic & sexual violence for over 10 years. A graduate from Government Law College, Mumbai, she managed the Legal Services & Victim Support programs at Majlis Legal Centre before joining RATI. She is a master trainer and has conducted training and awareness workshops with police, judiciary, civil society organizations, community leaders and young people on issues and laws related to violence & abuse against women & children. She has also assisted organizations and institutions with their Prevention of Sexual Harassment policies & systems. Her written work has been published in esteemed journals, magazines, newspapers & portals like EPW, Outlook, Business Standard, The Wire among others.

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Uma Subramanian

Uma Subramanian

Co-Founder & Director

Uma is a social worker and has over 15 years of experience of working with the children at risk. Uma conceptualized and co-founded the RATI Foundation & it’s initiative – Aarambh India. At RATI, Uma leads the fundraising activities, strategic planning and implementation of on-ground interventions and advocacy with central systems. She is the primary master trainer who has been trained in both the International Break the Silence Module and the KNH Child Protection Module and has trained more than 5000 individuals. In 2017, Ministry of Women and Child Development India honored her as an ‘Agent of Change’ in India. Besides her Masters in Social Work, she has completed a one month fellowship at the Oslo University College and an executive education program in Social Entrepreneurship from INSEAD School of Business, Singapore.

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Pranita Baviskar

Pranita Baviskar

Program Coordinator, Child Friendly Systems

Pranita has a Master’s degree in Social Work specialized in Women Centered Practice from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. During her college, she gained field experience working on the issues related to Gender Sensitization, Education of children, Community schools and Shelter homes.Her post graduate research was titled “Understanding Perception of Adolescents Towards Sexuality”. Working with children has been her lifetime goal. At Aarambh India, she is working with “Child Friendly Systems in Mumbai” initiative which in collaboration with UNICEF, works with victims of sexual offences & the systems of justice and rehabilitation that they have to pass through.

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Pallavi R

Pallavi R

Research Officer

Pallavi has an M.Phil degree in Social Work from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. Her thesis was on “Tribal School dropouts from the schools of Wayanad District”. She is currently pursuing her P.hD in Social Work from the same institute. She worked for two years as Assistant Professor at the School of Social Work, Marian College, Kuttikkanam, Kerala. Prior to which, she worked as Community Development Supervisor for the Jalanidhi project by Kerala State government. At RATI, along with other members of the research team, she is working as senior research officer conducting a research study on the impact of COVID 19 on online behaviors of children and young people from marginalized communities.

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Sameer Ahmad

Sameer Ahmad

Research Officer

Sameer has completed his Bachelor’s from Aligarh Muslim University and his Master’s in Social Work from the Central University of Himachal Pradesh, Dharamshala. His postgraduate dissertation was titled ‘‘Issues and challenges faced by female street vendors with special focus on Aligarh district, Uttar Pradesh’. He has interned and volunteered with several international and national organizations such as EduCare & Read Global. His own organization in Aligarh works on empowerment of children and youth through exposure to scientific temperament. He has previously worked as a research assistant on an academic research project for the London Business School. At RATI, he is working with a team that is studying the impact of COVID 19 on online behaviors of children and young people from marginalized communities.

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Siddharth Pillai

Siddharth Pillai

Co-Director & Communications Manager

For the last 8 years, Siddharth has worked with non-profits across India managing communications. At Aarambh he takes forward the national network and resource centre activities. He has worked as a communications manager for Video Volunteers, and on several successful online campaigns including ARTICLE 17 and the Hunger Videos, a series of videos produced in collaboration with Red Cross. Prior to that, he worked with the Bangalore-based Centre for Information & Development Studies (CIEDS). He curated the ‘Cinema of Resistance’ package for World Social Forum 2007, Nairobi. In 2009, he was invited to cover the Berlin Film Festival as part of the Talent Press Initiative. He was the festival coordinator and curator for Voices from the Waters, one of the largest environmental film festivals in the country between 2007 and 2010. He works on film research projects in his free time.

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Aarti Gor

Aarti Gor

Program Manager, Child Friendly Systems

Aarti has completed her Masters in Socio-Cultural Anthropology from the Durham University, England. Her dissertation was titled “Exploring Culture at a Height: Role of Kinship and Marriages in Ladakh”. Since then, she has worked as a qualitative researcher on research studies for FHI360 and SNEHA. She also worked as Project Manager for the Bridge-To-Education . At Aarambh India, Aarti manages the “Child Friendly Systems in Mumbai” initiative which in collaboration with UNICEF, works with victims of sexual offences & the systems of justice and rehabilitation that they have to pass through.

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Reshma Naykodi

Reshma Naykodi

Coordinator MCSN & Case Management

Reshma has completed her Masters in Women Centered Social Work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. At Aarambh, she is the coordinator for the Mumbai Children’s Safety Network and case management. In her 3 years of experience in the development sector, she has worked extensively on women’s empowerment, education of tribal children, gender sensitization and rights of differently-abled children. Previously she was as Senior Community Mobilizer with Swadahaar FinAccess where she worked with various women’s groups all over Mumbai on the issue of financial education. Post that, she worked under her alma mater as a program officer on the National University Student Skill Development Program.

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Pooja Kandula

Dr. Pooja Kandula

Research Officer

Pooja is a qualified dentist but it is development work at the grassroots that moves her spirit. She completed Masters in Social Work with a specialization in Child Rights and Protection from Amrita University, Coimbatore. As a part of her dissertation, she did a research on independent migration of children and worked on framing child protection policies for NGOs in Coimbatore. In the last four years she has worked with government and civil society organizations engaged in providing support to children at risk. She worked as a Program Manager in Bihar with Nari Gunjan , an organization working with Musahars, one of the most vulnerable communities in the state. At Aarambh, she drives the new research unit.

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Francesco Caruso

Francesco Caruso

President, Firetree Asia Foundation

Francesco is currently the President of the Firetree Asia Foundation. Both foundations focus on supporting the most marginalized children and youth in Asia. Francesco spends the majority of his time working with local Asian organizations to strengthen their management and governance. Between 2003 and 2008 Francesco lived in Cambodia where he co-founded M’Lop Tapang, a holistic project for street children. Francesco sits on the Board of Directors of M’Lop Tapang, Action Pour Les Enfants (Cambodia) and Thrive Networks Foundation (Hong Kong). Previous to his work with non-profit institutions, Francesco worked for eight years in finance in North America and Europe. He holds an LLM degree (International law) and a Masters Degree in Management.

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Pravin Patkar

Dr. Pravin Patkar

Adjunct Professor, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham & Co-Founder,

Dr. Patkar is a noted social activist, teacher, academician and writer. He is the founder of. He is the founder and managing trustee of Pariwartan ‘84, an action programme to end trafficking of tribals for forced labour that successfully helped closed down the bonded labour system. Previously he was at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences for 20 years teaching at the postgraduate level and guiding multidisciplinary research. He has published several papers on Development Impact, Labor Economics, Environment, Agriculture, Trafficking, Sex Tourism among other subjects. His grassroots work has been recognized and feted by several national and international organizations. He is also a published author of award-winning short stories in Marathi and has worked and consulted on many acclaimed tele-serials, documentaries and public service ads. Currently he is the Adjunct Professor at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham in Coimbatore.

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Seema Sood

Seema Sood

Director of Events and PR, Leo Burnett

Seema has over 17 years of varied experience that includes journalism, teaching, corporate communications and non-profit management. She worked as the COO of the Salaam Bombay Foundation for three years. She single-handedly managed the 7-day triennial World Conference on Tobacco for Health conference plus Youth convention spread across 130 nations. The Goa fest has been a major part of her portfolio since 2006. She has worked with prominent brands and has won awards at Cannes and AMEA. She set-up Leo Hope- a cell that advertises for non-profits along with the project management department of Leo Burnett. She holds a masters degree in journalism.

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Rohit Tote

Rohit Tote

Marketing Strategist

A Market Research and Strategic Consulting Professional with more than 9 years of experience, Rohit has worked in USA and India with leading businesses and corporate houses. His work ranges across multiple industries including television, video gaming, telecommunications, consumer goods, online services and non-profits.

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Lisa Genasci

Lisa Genasci

Managing Director, Sustainable Finance, ADM Capital

Lisa is formerly the founder and CEO of ADM Capital Foundation (ADMCF), an innovative philanthropic vehicle to support critical research and impact-driven approaches to promoting environmental conservation in Asia. She has worked with ADM Capital to shape its environmental and social principles and supported the development of an in-house ESG tool. Lisa is a founder, with the ADM group, of the Tropical Landscapes Finance Facility (TLFF): a sustainable lending platform with BNP Paribas, UN Environment and ICRAF also as partners designed to finance green growth projects that aim to improve rural livelihoods and land use in Indonesia. A director of the Hong Kong-based Civic Exchange and Angkor Hospital for Children in Siem Reap, Cambodia, Lisa is also an advisor to the Washington DC-based Ocean Foundation and Hong Kong’s Clean Air Network. Lisa holds a BA degree with High Honors from Smith College and an LLM in Human Rights Law from HKU.

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Mallika Singh

Mallika Singh

Entrepreneur

Mallika has over 16 years of varied experience. She spent 8 years in Corporate and Investment Banking with Rabobank before moving to development as part of the National Management team of NGO Pratham. She spent over 4 years with Pratham, devoting her financial skills to making the Read India campaign a success through fund raising, resource allocation and program management. The campaign reached over 60 million children and 550 districts across India. Using her experience and skills gained in banking and development, she has now donned the mantle of a social entrepreneur and is focused on creating revenue generation models for the youth of India. She has been using an established interiors business as a platform to innovate and pilot these models. Mallika continues to work actively for child rights, and believes strongly in Aarambh and its model of resource sharing to ensure an end to child sexual abuse. She holds a MBA degree from the Indian School of Business.

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