Violence against Women
“Staying Alive; 1st Monitoring and Evaluation Report; 2007 on the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (PWDVA)” was released on 26 October 2007 at the National Conference to Commemorate the PWDVA. This report has been compiled by the Lawyers Collective (Women’s Rights Initiative (“LCWRI by analyzing data collected from the Office of the Chief Justice of India, the Ministry of Women and Child Development and from individuals/ organizations working on the issue of domestic violence from across the country. This report attempts to indicate emerging trends observed in the implementation of the law and highlight best practices adopted in different states. The compilation of the report and the national conference should be regarded as the first steps towards evaluation and monitoring and should become an integral component in the implementation of this law.
Domestic Violence Study (PDF)
Spirituality, Poverty, Charity brings
Widows to Vrindavan
is a study conducted by Ms. Usha Rai for the
Guild of Service, with UNIFEM support. The principal question, which it seeks
to answer is - why do widows, particularly from West Bengal, continue to come to
Vrindavan, despite over a decade of concerted work by the Central Government,
the Uttar Pradesh Government and NGOs.
The Study notes that one of the major factors for this is because money is more easily available in Vrindavan than in the villages of West Bengal. Some of the other important reasons cited by the women are as follows:
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41 per cent said they came to the city because it was a place of God; there were a large number of ashrams; and many of them had Gurus there or family to support them initially
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20 per cent said they were alone in the village and had no one to help them
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14 per cent said they had problems with people at home
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8 per cent said they were in Vrindavan because of their low economic status and poverty
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Just one woman said she had come to Vrindavan to escape poverty as well as sexual abuse
Nothing to go back to
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82 per cent said their husbands had left no savings
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65 per cent said they did not even have property
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Only 50 per cent of those who had property, which in most cases was a hut, were able to access it
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The majority of those who did have property gave it to their children or it was grabbed by their children
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14 per cent said the property had been taken by their in-laws. Whatever jewellery they had, was either given away, or grabbed or sold. Most came to Vrindavan as paupers
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30 per cent travelled to Vrindavan without a ticket
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90 per cent said they did not wish to go back to their villages in Bengal
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15 per cent said they did not want to be a burden on their families in the village
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4 per cent said they go home once in a while but prefer to live in Vrindavan
The Study makes the following Recommendations
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Set up more rehabilitation homes in Vrindavan and West Bengal with food, medical care and other facilities
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Make available information on widow’s pension, amount of pension and how to access it in West Bengal, through better advertizing, including through posters and hoardings in rural Bengal and at railway stations and bus stops
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Issue photo identity cards to all widows in Vrindavan and Brajdham
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Provide, below the poverty line ration cards, health cards and pension to all widows
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Government should dialogue with trustees of Bhajan Ashrams, who have enormous wealth and clout, to run schools/ support education of widows’ children and provide health care
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Rehabilitate all widows living on the streets and at the Ghats. Provide for night shelters
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Religious leaders should encourage and support widow remarriage
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Set up special health care facilities in Vrindavan and Brajdham for widows and destitute women. They should not be turned away from hospitals and medical centres.
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Facilitate skill training for young widows in West Bengal to make them independent
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Registration of marriage should be made compulsory to check child marriages in Bengal
A
Life Free of Violence is our Right!
The publication encapsulates successful strategies that have been adopted by grantees of the UNIFEM managed, UN Trust Fund to Eliminate Violence against Women.
Support Services to Counter Violence against Women in: Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Manipur, Meghalaya, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat – A Resource Directory
Eye Reveal: A Catalogue,
captures the process and experiences of the initiative ‘Eye Reveal’, which
was sha
red with diverse stakeholders through an Exhibition, which was
inaugurated by Mrs. Gursharan Kaur Singh, wife of the Prime Minister of
India, at the Gallerie Romain Rolland of the Alliance Francaise of Delhi.
She also released this Catalogue, prepared by UNIFEM and Muktangan, which
makes available the Exhibition to a wider public.
Description: The Catalogue, encapsulates the Exhibition and the stories, which reflect the perspective that the participants, i.e. 150 university students of colleges of Delhi University, developed in the course of six months of intense involvement with different stakeholders working towards addressing gender based violence. Conceptualized and guided by eminent artist, Mr. Probir Gupta, the publication shares this journey in the publication. The journey involves, the creation of a platform through which the participants, interacted with NGOs and community groups working on the issue of trafficking, violence, HIV/ AIDs and masculinity. It involves their interaction with women and men from diverse walks of life and with women and children affected by violence, in an attempt to understand the impact of violence on their minds and lives. The Catalogue adds to the knowledge and resources currently available on violence against women, bringing new insights on the issue, and catalyzing increased involvement of youth in creating a more violence-free world.
The special
cell is a unique effort in a strategic collaboration between the
State and
an academic institution, in that it provides a vital connection between
citizens and the state that is expected to protect them. From one centre in
the heart of Mumbai, to ten cells in Police Stations across the state, the
Special Cell has grown through the support and involvement of all its
stakeholders.
The Special Cells were initiated by the Tata Institute for Social Sciences in 1984 for focused work in the area of violence against women with an objective of facilitating spaces for women and children within the Criminal Justice system. These cells were later up-scaled by UNIFEM and Ford Foundation in 2001 to ten police stations in the state of Maharashtra. In the last two decades the Special Cell has provided services to countless women; been a training site for young social work students and the Police and for research; and most importantly it has shown that a strategic alliance with police can make a significant impact on women’s search for support and justice. This documentation illustrates the journey of the Special Cell, and highlights how it has been effective in achieving the aims of social justice for women.
Walking Wisdom : A Creative Learning Experience
Developed by
SAKSHI this manual in the words of Naina Kapur is “at one
level about
judges, judicial education and teaching. At a deeper level it is about
change and transformation.” (The meeting of two personalities…… is like the
contact between two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are
transformed” – Carl Jung)
The binder is an easy “do it yourself” toolkit divided in to 2 parts. It is accompanied with several visual tools that have been compiled into eight CDs. An interdisciplinary process is the hallmark of this programme.
Part A: Knowledge – this part explores a variety of new ideas and information to help enhance our relationship with our self and others. It draws upon diverse experiences and voices and reveals the many dimensions of truth.
Module# 1: Understanding Women’s Reality
Section 1.1: Evaluating the Reality; Section 1.2: Questioning the Normal; Section 1.3: Impact of Inequality; Section 1.4: Understanding Equality
Module# 2: Perceptions
Section 2.1: Myths and Stereotypes; Section 2.2: Judicial Perceptions
Part B: Application – Knowledge comes to life if it is practiced through conscious action. This section presents “real-life” situations that will help users bring new dimensions of knowledge to their decision making.
Module # 3: Judicial Decision Making
Section 3.1: Tools to Equal and Fair Decision Making; Section 3.2: Applications of Equality Principles
Each part follows a clear format :
Introduction – a brief description of the concept being explored
Learning Objectives – The outcomes sought to be achieved
Components – Specific tools to be sued in the given section
Materials Required – Flip charts, board markers and other specific material required to conduct the exercises
Process: Details the methodology
Recommended Length – The recommended duration for a particular exercise. The time may vary according to participant response.
This process has been supported by UNIFEM South Asia, CIDA, UN Trust Fund in support of actions to eliminate violence against women, Ford Foundation, Mac Arthur Foundation and the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust
For more details check: www.sakshipaths.org
Violence against Women in South Asia - A Regional Scan of Efforts to End it, including Scans on Violence against Women in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan. The South Asia and the India scan prepared by Ms. Anuradha Rajan, and the scans for Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan prepared by Prof. Zarina Rehman Khan, Ms. Bandana Rana and Ms. Yasmin Zaidi respectively. Edited by Ms. Ritu Menon.
Description: The scan adds to UNIFEM SARO’s learning on the issue and provides an updated reference point for future efforts. It includes a review of current policies, achievements, challenges, key actors, and future potential of programmes to end violence against women. While focusing on the main legal, political and human rights achievements, it is attentive to emerging trends and future issues related to ending gender-based violence.
Touch an Exhibition is a pictorial experience put together by Mr. Probir Gupta, an eminent artist based in Delhi, in collaboration with students from 16 schools in Delhi, supported by UNIFEM and Zonta International.
Description: This is a publication of the visual journey into the minds of children on violence against women (VAW) during the collective passage undertaken by Mr. Probir Gupta, and the youth from 16 schools in Delhi, led by UNIFEM during the “Sixteen Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence” in 2003. “Touch” brings alive the exhibition put up at the Visual Arts Gallery of the Habitat Centre in New Delhi. It includes: reproductions of the paintings executed by the children, post the initiative’s process of sensitization on issues of VAW; excerpts from UNIFEM interviews of the students and their perceptions on violence against women; brief notes on facts and figures related to the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women; a list of organizations working on VAW and related issues; and a list of relevant readings.
“My Voice Shall be Heard – Muslim Women in India 2003, by Dr. Syeda Saiyidain Hameed of Muslim Women’s Forum
Description: The Report is a study of Muslim Women based
on public
hearings conducted in many parts of the country. It is in the
nature of a periodic assessment since
the Report, “Voice of the Voiceless: Status of Muslim Women in India” was
written by the author as a Member of the National Commission for Women in
2000. It strives to trace the progress made vis-à-vis the rights of
Muslim Women since 2000, create awareness of the condition of the Muslim
Women, refocus attention of civil society on core issues related to their
lives, and promote awareness and
re-education.
Violence, Law and Women’s Rights in South Asia This research
leading to this
publication was supported by UNIFEM South Asia Regional Office and UNICEF
ROSA , edited by Professor Savitri Goonesekere and published by SAGE
Publications. It
includes an overview by Professor Savitri Savitri Goonesekere and
contributions by Ms. Kirti Singh in India, Ms. Hina Jilani, Ms. Shahla Zia
and Mr. Eman M. Ahmed in Pakistan, and Dr. Mario Gomez & Ms. Shyamla Gomez
in Sri Lanka.
Description: This book consists of three South Asian country studies of the legal system’s response to violence against women, and an overview of law and legal controls in South Asia. The three country studies presented are from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.