‘Save women from unnatural deaths by saying NO to Violence’
Number of unnatural deaths of women was found to be increasing despite availability of counseling centers (from 1934) and shelters for women in distress in Gujarat from 1937. As I looked closely, it became clear that the counseling centers were following a kind of judicial method wherein both parties were asked why the woman was distressed. Then they were asked to compromise. A document, enumerating conditions on both sides, was made out and the woman returned to her marital home. The chief of the leading counseling center, at ‘Jyoti Sangh’, worried in 1984 that many of those women died soon after. Another leader who had established nine shelters, ‘Vikas Griha’, in Gujarat was worried that the shelters were full of women who could not return to the marital home. With this background, through AWAG, a fresh strategy was advocated, of ‘woman-centered’ or ‘pro-woman’ counseling. The leading social workers did not accept it because they were for ‘saving the family’ not the women. But then in 1995, AWAG trained counselors working in 52 counseling centers of Gujarat in ‘woman-centered’ or ‘pro-woman’ counseling as well as in helping the distressed woman with information of section 498-A of IPC. The counselors reported that the police did not respond to them. So, AWAG took up sensitization of the police of Gujarat on women’s issues from 1998. In next three years AWAG had covered 80% of the police force of Gujarat. Consequently, the registration of women’s complaints of domestic violence under section 498-A of IPC increased which resulted in less unnatural deaths of women. The following table, presenting figures taken from the records kept by the police of Gujarat, shows the increased registration of complaints of women against domestic violence during 1998 to 2000 and decreased number of deaths of women during 1999 to2001.
About You
Section 1: About You
First Name
Ila
Last Name
Pathak
Website
Organization
Ahmedabad Women's Action Group - AWAG
Country
India
Section 2: About Your Organization
Is this initiative/innovation linked to any established organization?
Yes
Organization Name
Ahmedabad Women's Action Group - AWAG
Organization Website
Organization Phone
079-26441214 / 079-26442466
Organization Address
AWAG, AWAGKunj, Bhudarpura, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad - 380 015
Organization Country
India
Is your organization a
CSO/NGO
How long has this organization been operating?
More than 5 years
Your idea
Name Your Project
‘Save women from unnatural deaths by saying NO to Violence’
What stage is your project in?
Operating for more than 5 years
When was the project initiated? or When are you planning to begin?
This project was initiated in 1983
Describe your idea and explain why it is innovative
Number of unnatural deaths of women was found to be increasing despite availability of counseling centers (from 1934) and shelters for women in distress in Gujarat from 1937. As I looked closely, it became clear that the counseling centers were following a kind of judicial method wherein both parties were asked why the woman was distressed. Then they were asked to compromise. A document, enumerating conditions on both sides, was made out and the woman returned to her marital home. The chief of the leading counseling center, at ‘Jyoti Sangh’, worried in 1984 that many of those women died soon after. Another leader who had established nine shelters, ‘Vikas Griha’, in Gujarat was worried that the shelters were full of women who could not return to the marital home. With this background, through AWAG, a fresh strategy was advocated, of ‘woman-centered’ or ‘pro-woman’ counseling. The leading social workers did not accept it because they were for ‘saving the family’ not the women. But then in 1995, AWAG trained counselors working in 52 counseling centers of Gujarat in ‘woman-centered’ or ‘pro-woman’ counseling as well as in helping the distressed woman with information of section 498-A of IPC. The counselors reported that the police did not respond to them. So, AWAG took up sensitization of the police of Gujarat on women’s issues from 1998. In next three years AWAG had covered 80% of the police force of Gujarat. Consequently, the registration of women’s complaints of domestic violence under section 498-A of IPC increased which resulted in less unnatural deaths of women. The following table, presenting figures taken from the records kept by the police of Gujarat, shows the increased registration of complaints of women against domestic violence during 1998 to 2000 and decreased number of deaths of women during 1999 to2001.
What kind of beneficiaries is your initiative addressed to?
Women.
Describe the profile of the beneficiaries of this project
Women in distress are the beneficiaries of this project. The concept is that women in Gujarat and / or in India want to make their homes once they are married. Even if she is physically or mentally tortured by her husband she would endure all till she could. When she cannot take any more domestic violence and reaches the end of her endurance she looks around for help and goes to the natal family to seek help. Parents in Gujarat and / or in India do not help married daughters to return, their advice to her is to continue at the husband’s, alive or dead. Since she could not continue living she chooses to die. Every day more than 15 women die unnatural deaths as per police records in Gujarat. Such women are offered counseling and / or shelter as per need. When help is received at the crucial point of time, the woman finds time and space to decide about her own future. The process saves her from unnatural death. In the year 2008-2009 more than 600 women were served through four counseling centers run by AWAG.
What is your initiative’s implementation strategy?
The woman in distress approaching us is provided with counseling. She is asked what she wants. Most of them respond by saying that they want to return to their marital home if the husband stopped being violent on them. She is explained that she will have to say no to violence and therefore must strengthen herself. In some cases she decides to return to her husband. In case she cannot continue, she returns.
The counselor then prepares her to plan her future and take training to start earning. Along with that she observes and shares experiences with other inmates like her, which helps her emerge from her despondency.
The next step is to provide training and upgrade her work so that she starts earning.
Thereafter, she is encouraged to think of rehabilitating herself in her milieu. In most cases an inmate of the shelter gets rehabilitated within a period of six months to three years.
In AWAG Counseling centers, legal counseling centers, legal aid centers, a training center, a rehabilitation center and a short stay home are established.
In your opinion, what are the main barriers or obstacles in connection with this theme?
The method of counseling followed by the counseling centers now of ‘saving the family’ while neglecting the woman’s complaints does not help the woman. It subordinates the interest of the complaining woman to the needs of the family, which ultimately exposes the complainant woman to the violence within family pushing her to her death.
The police do not readily register the complaints against domestic violence and if they do, they do not implement the legal provisions actively. Such an attitude of the police of ignoring women’s complaints against her husband proves harmful to the woman.
Similar attitude of the advocates, the medical officers, the executive magistrates, the judicial magistrates, and the members of the judiciary at higher levels also operates against women.
The State has not yet facilitated the implementation of the ‘Protection of women against Domestic Violence Act, 2005’. Legal action under the act is difficult to initiate.
What type of partnerships you have or intend to generate strategic alliances with for the development of this initiative? Choose all that apply
State departments or areas, Non-Government organizations.
Describe with whom you have generated these alliances and how
Alliance is generated with police to get help for women in distress through sensitization workshops on women’s issues.
Counselors employed by ngos were trained to follow the woman-centered approach.
What are the main results generated and/or expected to generate by means of this initiative?
Save lives of women suffering from domestic violence. A violence-free society.
What is the main impact that your initiative might generate?
Change the lives of women so that they find life livable.
This Entry is about (Issues)
 | 115 weeks agoIla Pathak submitted this idea. |
