Safe Home for Survivors of Domestic Violence

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many women to be locked in with the perpetrators. With our Safe Home, we are providing a haven for survivors to protect themselves from violent situations. Since March 2021, we have assisted 10 women at our Safe Home. These women were referred to our home through our counsellors and local Police Stations. Our team helped these women with a variety of tasks - providing medical care, vocational training, filing of FIR, and assistance in looking for employment opportunities. 

While at the Safe Home, the women engage in various activities like art and crafts, soap making and gardening. Some of the soaps made by the survivors were distributed among the survivors who were leaving the safe home, low-income families living around the safe home and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). 

Our Safe Home also engaged in COVID-19 relief activities. We ran a campaign to distribute masks to the employees of GHMC who work tirelessly to ensure we have a safe city. Our team also provided cooked meals to three families who were suffering from COVID-19. We ensured they had proper meals until they recovered from the disease. 

Arya’s journey towards self-confidence

Arya* did not talk or engage in any of the activities organised at the Safe Home when she first arrived. She was extremely weak and got panic attacks. 

Arya lost her mother and her father abandoned her to remarry. Abandoned at a young age, Arya was brought up by well-wishers and other care-takers. During one of her stays as a caretaker, she fell in love with a boy who reciprocated her feelings and promised marriage. When Arya would ask him about the marriage he would defer the question and eventually refused to marry him. Her fear of abandonment crept up when he refused to marry, feeling disheartened Arya filed a police report. The Police officers referred her to our Safe Home where Arya was safe. 

At the Safe Home, Arya underwent psychological and medical tests to determine her health. Based on the test results, Arya was given medication and was also undergoing counselling with the help of our counsellor. Our counsellor helped Arya by encouraging her to express her feeling through art and music. It took some time before Arya would open up, but eventually, through the help of our counsellor and the extended team, she was finally able to make a breakthrough and started talking about her fears and trauma. Our counsellor addressed these issues and helped her overcome the same using various techniques. 

During one of her counselling sessions, Arya mentioned that she felt safe for the first time. She had been moving from one home to another for having necessities met but now at the safe home, she did not have to worry about her safety. 

With the help of our counsellor, Arya was able to locate an extended family member who was willing to take care of her. She lived with them for some time and eventually was able to marry a man of her choice with the help of her extended family. 

Today, Arya is safe, strong, confident and empowered with coping mechanisms taught by our counsellors which continue to help her. 

*Name changed for protecting the identity of a young woman.