Stop Violence Against Dalit Women in India

Women and girls in South Asia face widespread violence and discrimination that is often socially accepted. To create lasting change, we need to challenge the deep-rooted attitudes and structures that perpetuate this abuse. Our project works in South Asia to support survivors of sexual violence. A key strategy is to engage men and families in the issue. Through anti-violence training, young men learn to respect and partner with women and girls. The impact of this work is evident:

Vinod is a 17-year-old who regularly attends the Maitri anti-violence training in Mangalam, Pondicherry district. After attending his first sessions, he started to notice how women are treated unfairly in both his family situation and the wider society. Vinod couldn’t stop noticing the daily discrimination that he had taken for granted.

Vinod says, "The anti-violence training was a life-changing experience for me that transformed many things. The training provides a safe space for honest discussions about masculinity, gender norms and how they affect our lives. I liked how the facilitators encouraged us to question the traditional stereotypes and expectations of men. I realised that masculinity is not a fixed concept and that there are many ways to be a man. And I think it’s important to see every woman as a human being and not as an object or to judge her only by her looks. It’s important to appreciate their unique qualities, talents and perspectives beyond superficial aspects."

Thanks to your support we are holistically approaching the issue of gender violence and discrimination towards women by addressing engrained attitudes towards women held by men. In just one session Vinod’s views were transformed.

Links:

• Link to our website to find out more and see our projects!

Content warning: Themes of sexual assualt

Meera is 40 and lives in Rupwas village, she lives with five daughters and one son and is the sole provider for her family. Her husband left her after she got assaulted by people in her village. She was only 13 years old when she got married to her previous husband.

One day Meera went to a local cooperative bank to ask for a loan to support her daughter’s wedding. Her neighbours, who also give loans on interest, came to know about this. They approached her, offering to loan the money at low interest and on this promise, she entered their house to discuss it in more depth. They proceeded to sexually assault her, filming it, and began threatening her, using the videos as blackmail for forced prostitution.

A member of our project team received a report of this incident from Rupwa’s police station. She soon approached Meera, explaining what the project could do to provide for both her and her family and expressed their commitment to reducing violence against women.

The project gave her groceries and counselling to slowly process the trauma and provide tools to help improve her mental health. They also ensured her family was receiving the nutrition they need, to alleviate the stress on her to provide for them during this difficult time.

The case is still ongoing.

Whilst it is ongoing, the Maitri network is ensuring that the children are accessing education and  provided with food, while Meera is being given trauma-informed therapy to encourage healing.

Thankyou for yor support!

Content Warning: Themes of Sexual Violence

Fatima is 17 years old. She lives with her mother and 3 sisters and brother in the Jarpatka area, Nagpur, Maharashtra. Her mother works hard, struggling to support her family by selling vegetables on the roadside. She earns 600 rupees a month and is the sole provider, as their father left them years ago.

Fatima made friends with a new neighbour who was 20 years old. One day, he invited her round to his house only to lock her in the bathroom. Once she was captive, he invited 2 male friends over and they raped her. They even filmed their assault and later used the video to blackmail Fatima, so that she wouldn’t speak to her mother about what had happened.

Her mental health rapidly deteriorated and her mother urged Fatima to tell her what was wrong, but Fatima was too afraid to do so. After several days, Fatima bravely told her mother what had happened and together they went to the police station to file a report. Soon after, the 3 men were arrested.

Our project heard about the case and offered counselling services to both Fatima and her family. After only a few sessions, Fatima already appears to be improving. The project also assisted Fatima in accessing a government scheme, whereby survivors of sexual violence are entitled to funding as they recover. The support worker has built effective relationships with the local police force and is supporting them in the court proceedings.

The project continues to support Fatima while the court case is ongoing. We will keep you updated.

Thanks to you, survivors of sexual violence are heard, supported and represented in court.

Links:

• Link to our website to find out more and see our projects!

Content Warning: Includes themes of sexual violence 

Pragyawati lives in Doha, Uttar Pradesh, with her two children. Her husband's work as a migrant labourer provides the family’s only income, but takes him away from the family for months at a time.With male violence posing a huge threat to women in India, Pragyawati has always been concerned about the risks of staying on her own in the house with her children.  

While her husband was travelling for work, three men climbed through her open bathroom roof and raped her. After they had left, she went into a deep state of shock, however, she managed to get word to her husband. As he was so far away, he sent his brother take Pragyawati to the police station and report the crime. Due to the men having their faces covered she could only identify one of them, which meant the police couldn’t act on the rest of the perpetrators.  

As news spread of the assault, Pragyawati became isolated from her community. The stigma towards female survivors of sexual violence is high. This impacted her mental well-being greatly and she began to feel hopeless. 

A support worker from our project, the Maitri Network, heard about Pragyawati via the newspaper and approached her and her husband to offer support. They received therapy to work through the trauma of what had taken place and legal help to begin court proceedings. 

With two of the men still free, fear of reprisals have stalled the case. The Maitri Network are still working alongside Pragyawati to seek justice. Though this is a complex case, the support workers are determined to continue their support of Pragyawati. We will keep you updated.  

Thanks to your support, women who are victims of violence get the therapy they need to heal and seek the justice they deserve. 

Links:

• Visit our website to find out more!

Content Warning: Addresses issues of sexual assault 

Nandini, being the only girl in her large family, became a sex worker to provide for them. This is common in the area they live in -Mandsaur district, Madhya Pradesh - as the community lives in extreme poverty. Every day she would meet new clients, but one kept coming back to her and promising her a better life.  

Desperate, she made plans to run away with him from home. He had said she could get an education and they would be married. Nandini trusted him and,without telling her family, they fled.  

As soon as she was away from home, the abuse began. He sexually and emotionally assaulted her and the idea of their marriage was completely dismissed, leaving her distraught and betrayed. Meanwhile, her parents contacted the local police and filed her as a missing person, a month after she had run away.  

Nandini decided she had to find a way to return to her family. She knew being alone would make her vulnerable but she was desperate to escape. Despite getting free, on her journey back she was victim to many horrific attacks and subsequently ended up in a mental institution in Mumbai. Her family were notified and were relieved to know she was alive.  

Our project, The Maitri Network, supports women survivors of sexual violence. They approached Nandini and her family and offered to provide professional mental health treatment and legal counsel. At first, Nandini didn’t feel strong enough to take legal action, but she was benefiting greatly from the therapy, which helped her to heal the trauma of the events that had taken place.  

Now, there has been a drastic change in her mental health and self-confidence. She is reported to be fearless and will soon appear in court against severa lof her perpetrators.  

Thanks to you, survivors can heal their trauma and be supported to take legal action to see justice. 

Links:

• Link to our website to find out more and see our projects!