A woman’s world is her family. Every decision is influenced by her individual family needs and rarely does she put her own needs at the forefront. This very noble quality of many women is fully exploited usually by men of the family and community.
It is important for each woman to understand this situation and not allow anyone to use her or take her for granted. It is important for her to shed the vulnerability and stand up for her rights and also for what she feels is right.
While economic independence gains her some respect and says in family matters, there are many social codes and mores which intend to bring her down and also keep her at a lower level of importance, relevance, leading to subjugation and exploitation.
Training and skills are imparted to tackle various types of issues as a family member or a community member. Regular woman-to-woman interaction leads to the spread of this knowledge within the organized SHGs and Federations of women.
Legal aid and knowledge of their social rights is the mainstay of all the social aspects of dowry, property rights, female infanticide and other such issues.
Taking strength from the knowledge and each other’s fights, the women have been able to –
- Handles local problems such as alcoholism and gambling.
- Monitors corruption in food rationing, kerosene distribution.
- Handles problems related to water and fuel.
- Takes efforts to reduce the atrocities on women.
- Handles and solves issues like love marriages, inter-caste marriages, and dowry.
- Lends a new meaning, context and form to festivals and celebrations.
- Take efforts to eradicate the inequality between men and women and casteism.
- Monitor and prevent female foeticide and sexual exploitation.
- Preserve relationships like between mother-daughter, father-son, mother-in-law and daughter in law, husband-wife and so on.
Preventive Programs for Social Consciousness
Chetana-Vikas conducts programs to educate men and women on social topics to prevent separations in couples and families. Chetana-Vikas conducts camps on topics such as:
- Sex education for adolescent boys and girls.
- Understanding incest through Camps for small and elder children in schools and Junior colleges.
- Learning self defence skills like Judo-Karate especially for girls and women.
- Discussions on ‘how to select a life partner’ with young people of marriageable age.
- Understanding family relationships and the importance of proper communication between different relationships like mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, father and son, husband and wife, mother and daughter etc.
- Understanding responsibilities of men and women in different types of roles as family members like son, brother, father, husband or daughter, sister, mother, wife. These camps are hugely popular and help in removing the social stigma regarding various issues affecting men and women. They also help in bringing a realization of mistakes in one’s behaviour. They enable in developing sensitive individuals who contribute positively to family life and ultimately the community.
Family Counseling Centers
Chetana-Vikas has established 10 family counselling centres to provide free legal aid and counselling to couples in dispute. Often the reasons for a dispute are trivial or made to appear big due to lack of information, knowledge or even superstitions. The effort is on reconciliation of such couples than separation with proper guidance to men and women of the family.
We strive to ensure justice for women suffering from domestic violence, alcoholism, suspicion, financial or sex-related problems. Men and women are given legal or medical advice to resolve issues like adultery, unwed motherhood, dowry, and second marriage. This service is a big relief to couples and especially women who have nowhere to turn to.
The domestic issues are resolved without going to court and thereby saving huge costs and mental harassment. Appropriate direction for reconciliation has saved many families from separating. However, if the separation between couples is inevitable, the return of cash, jewellery and other gifts are rightfully returned to the woman.
MAITRI KENDRA (Friendship Centres)
10 Maitri Kendras are being run in 10 cluster level villages on market days of the week. Each cluster draws in villagers from about 16 surrounding villages. Villagers come to Kendra for advice on various issues concerning their daily life problems, land disputes, family disputes and various other issues in the community. Information on various Government schemes, legal aid and rights issues are handled on this day. A local trained person sits with the counsellors to handle the issues.
Injustice Redressal Committees (Anyay Nivaran Samiti)
Issues of a village can flare up into major disputes or fights. These are usually tackled first by the village committee. In such disputes, efforts are made for consensus and justice and as far as possible litigations are avoided. The Injustice Redressal Committees meet regularly at village and cluster levels where knowledge-attitude and skills regarding various social issues are thoroughly discussed.
Enthusiastic participation has ensured partial or full action results on:
- Family disputes.
- Issues like sexual harassment and rape.
- Issues like love marriages, inter-caste marriage etc.
- Female Foeticide. The formation and presence of these committees have provided a secure environment for people in distress who do not know where to go for guidance. For the more serious crimes, the committees involved the law enforcement agencies to intervene as necessary.
The Injustice Redressal Committees in the villages tackle the primary disputes and the ones needing more support and advice are sent to Maitri Kendra. Still more complicated cases from here are sent to Family Counselling Centres running at block and district levels. Only if the case is not resolved between the aggrieved parties do they go to the Courts.
As seen in the image on top of the page this stepwise process filters out many cases at different levels depending on their complexity and solvability. It reduces a lot of pressure, load on the judicial system. The persons and groups working at various levels are continuously exposed to various knowledge, attitudes and skills required for a better and equal and harmonious society.
SPECIAL VULNERABLE GROUPS OF WOMEN
Muslim Women
As a community, Muslim women face discrimination much more than other women. Lack of formal education and bound in social as well as religious codes, many women do not feel the courage or take initiative to come out of their misery.
Women from other committees are encouraged to include, and invite Muslim women to meetings and camps organized in the village. They are educated on topics such as economic self-reliance, legal information, health awareness and the importance of women organizations.
We have seen a steady increase and response among Muslim women to this initiative. This has led to their participation in social and organizational issues being tackled in the village.
Deserted Women and Widows
A large number of women are deserted by their husbands for no fault of theirs. They lead deprived lives since society tends to look down on them. This situation applies to widow’s as well. They are usually not aware of their social rights and are left alone to bring up their children with no support from the husband’s family. These are the more vulnerable sections within the un-empowered rural women community.
Chetana-Vikas has undertaken a separate initiative to organize camps for these women to make them aware of their rights within their family, and give them guidance for economic assistance schemes made available by the government. Separate loan facilities with fewer interest rates have been established, which encourage them to take up trades to improve their economic conditions.
We also provide channels to interact with other women of the village. We sensitize other women in the community to the needs of these deserted women/widows. This sensitization brings women together as a community to fight for their cause at various forums. Social empowerment of these shunned women gives them a chance to lead normal lives and in turn, give hope and opportunities to their children.
