CHENNAI: Save the Children, a child rights organisation, recently roped in Tamil actress Priya Anand, in support of their endeavour to abolish child labour and rehabilitate children in the state.
“People are generally interested in celebrities who have a genuine interest in the issue and moreover, Priya is a young and upcoming actor, so her support for the cause will definitely appeal to the youth,” said Priya Subramanian, a representative of Save the Children.
With Priya’s movie Nootrenbadu up for release on June 25, making her the brand ambassador for the Save the Children’s Tamil Nadu chapter seems like the right move. “Priya Anand believes she can use her status as an actor to bring about awareness on child rights violations and champion the cause of children,” said Priya Subramanian.
Speaking to the City Express, Priya Anand said, “For me, it’s a long term commitment. I think it’s important to use whatever little voice I have to highlight the problems faced by these children.”
To pledge her support for the cause, Priya Anand visited around 15 villages in Villupuram district where Save the Children has been working to rehabilitate child labourers. “My memories of childhood are very different from those of the children I met. I learnt first-hand how children as young as 10 or 11 are exploited for work, abused, not paid or paid very little,” the actor said. “These children deserve to enjoy their childhood just as I did. I will raise my voice to ensure that children do not go to work, but to school. Children must work hard but at school,” said Priya Anand on an emphatic note, after she completed the tour.
During her visit, the actress also interacted with children at the ICDS (Integrated Child Development Scheme) Centre at Marakanam. The ICDS centre was instituted as part of the Save the Children’s initiative to rehabilitate children who were affected by the December 2004 tsunami. In addition, the actress also visited a programme run by the organisation in Villupuram, where she met children who were trafficked across the state after their parents sold them to agents.
On the whole, Save the Children runs 25 centres for rehabilitation of child domestic workers in Chennai and Villipuram. At present, the child rights organisation is functioning in 12 states and 120 countries worldwide.