SelectedWorks of Saumya Uma

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Saumya Uma

No institutional affiliation

• Independent Consultant on Gender, Law & Human Rights
• Coordinator, ICC-India: the Indian Campaign on the International Criminal Court
• Member, Board of Trustees, Women's Research & Action Group
• Contact Information
• Curriculum Vitae [PDF]

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I graduated from National Law School of India, Bangalore in 1994. I have worked
full-time with Mumbai-based human rights and women's rights (non-profit)
organizations. I now work as an independent research consultant on Indian and
international law in the context of human rights, gender and mass crimes. 

The initial five years of my work were focussed on litigation, mainly in the High Court
and Family court of Mumbai, where I represented women on issues pertaining to matrimonial
law. I worked then as a full-time employee of Majlis - a legal and cultural centre for
women, under the guidance of Adv. Flavia Agnes. This period helped me develop a feminist
perspective, and insights on the contours of women's rights and the law.
Simultaneously I completed my first LL.M. in Family Law and Human Rights from the Bombay
University. 

In September 1998, I was fortunate to receive a British Chevening scholarship on Human
Rights, which enabled me to pursue a second LL.M. - this time in International Human
Rights - at the University of Nottingham, U.K. The scholarship provided me with an
opportunity to understand and explore the significance of international legal
jurisprudence. 

After my return to Mumbai in October 1999, I joined India Centre for Human Rights and the
Law - a non-profit organization that works on human rights issues - as an Assistant
Director. Simultaneously, jointly with a small group of like-minded people, I commenced
the ICC-India campaign: an anti-impunity campaign on mass crimes and international law,
that focussed on the International Criminal Court. I continue to coordinate the campaign
till date. 

From March 2001 to October 2002, I worked in my independent capacity, taking a break from
active professional life to enjoy motherhood. I used the time to do plenty of reading and
some writing, and to nurture the campaign that had been started in the year 2000. 

Thereafter, in November 2002, I joined Women's Research and Action Group (WRAG) as
its Co-Director, subsequently moved onto becoming its Executive Director, and finally
resigned from Directorship in February 2010. During my eight years at WRAG, my work
included conducting capacity-building and information dissemination programmes, research
and publication, advocacy and leadership responsibilities related to the
organization's administration. 

From the time that the ICC-India campaign was adopted as a project of WRAG in 2002, the
campaign grew with the administrative, logistical and technical support of the
organization. Its varied activities spread across the country, and its civil society
support base expanded a great deal. 

Since November 2009, I began working as an independent consultant. In the past few
months, I have been combining law and human rights research, with part-time teaching and
associated work in Mumbai-based educational institutions, while actively participating in
human rights campaigns.

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