The 16 days of activism against gender based violence observe from November 25 to December 10, is a global campaign to end violence against women and girls. It links gender equality with fundamental human rights and calls for urgent action against alarming statistics. For example, a women being killed due to violence every 11 minutes. Launched by the United Nations in 2008, the UNITE campaigns aims for a violence free world by 2030.
Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan
KMVS has been working for the empowerment of rural women and girls in Kutch district of Gujarat since 1989. Its main objective is to create a safe and sensitive environment for women and girls. This is done by organizing and sensitizing youth, community organizations and local government institutions. Since the inception of the organization, KMVS has been working to promote women’s leadership in economic, political, social and cultural fields. This process is based on creating a network of women and youth leadership at the village, block and district levels. This in turn is to create gender equitable institutions and communities.
Initially, rural women were at the core of KMVS’ work, but now the organisation has also engaged with urban women and young girls. KMVS has now grown from a single group to a network of seven grassroots women’s organisations operating across the district and organising over 13,000 women, including single women, women with disabilities, women from socially and economically backward communities and sex workers.
Hello Sakhi, one of KMVS’s interventions started in 2010; working with and for the marginalised women of Kutch region in Gujarat.This is the legal team of KMVS which counsel and advocate the cases of any kind of violence against women; the front end interface being a helpline. This is headed by Malshree Gadhvi. I have been working as an India Fellow with Hello Sakhi for the past three months now.
About The Event
The ’16 Days Of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence’ campaign is a global initiative dedicated to ending violence against women and girls. At KMVS, this campaign is embraced with vigour, focusing on raising awareness and inspiring collective action. Recognizing the urgency of addressing domestic violence, KMVS’s Hello Sakhi team has taken the initiative to organize a week-long series of street plays across villages in different blocks of Kutch.
These street plays aim to educate and engage community members by shedding light on the realities of domestic violence and the ways to combat it. The campaign actively involves grassroots stakeholders such as Panchayats, school teachers, Anganwadi workers, students, parents, and the broader public, ensuring that the message reaches all sections of society. By using creative mediums like street performances alongside training sessions and social media outreach, the program strives to foster understanding and dialogue around gender-based violence.
This effort is a testament to the power of collective action. Through education, storytelling, and collaboration, KMVS aims to create a ripple effect of awareness and empowerment. The hope is to inspire communities to stand united against domestic violence and other forms of gender-based violence.
Five Days
Day 1 – As planned, we gathered in an open space and called the female Sarpanch, local school children and women of the area. We celebrated the day by performing street shows, campaign and discussion on every type of violence and the laws against the violence with the Dhori villagers.
Day 2 – We went to a new village of Kutch, at Nakhatrana block. Here we visited a local market where we could talk with women of the seller community. We asked them if they are facing any kind of violence at workplace, do they have any place to report it, what kind of violence they are facing in their family, neighbourhood etc. We had also talked to the adolescent girls regarding the above issues. As they said they enjoyed the conversation very much.
Day 3 – In Anjar block we went to the higher secondary co-ed school. We performed improptu theatre with them on issues of sexual harassment in open spaces – public transports, public washrooms, on the roads etc. The student of that school were also very actively participated with us in the conversation and agreed to say no to violence. Their teachers were also very enthusiastic about the program.
Day 4 – At Bhachau block, we organized a rally (Paidal Yatra) with community members, KMVS staff, community outreach workers etc.They shared their problems of violence and said their situation at home. They also said although they know about the effect of violence but don’t stand against it because their financial condition is not good.
Day 5 – In Mandvi block we planned and organized a panel discussion with adolescent girls of Balika Panchayats on the theme of violence and their different forms.The female Sarpanch of Motirayan village of Mandvi was present. She supported us with the program. Anganwadi workers and local women police were also there to support. The local women were also discussing their problems with us. They said that we should make a safe place for our girls. After the finishing speech of the Sarpanch we closed our program.
My Reflections And Learning
Our oobjective was to build awareness for the women, against violence. Our messages were
‘Na ka matlab na hota hai’
‘Har prakar ki hingsa ko durr hatao’
‘Stritwa se hi samaj ki astwitwa’
‘Stri Hai to samaj hai’
‘Baal vivaah ko khatam karo’
‘Ladki ko janam lene ka pura adhikar hai’
We gave them the understanding of the role of society, social media, religion, and our own family in our life. How they control us and our thoughts, motivation and behaviours. The joy of the school children during the street play was truly heartwarming. Their active participation added vibrancy to the performance, creating a lively atmosphere. After the play, the school teachers applauded the KMVS team and the students, emphasizing the importance of organizations like KMVS in raising awareness about critical issues. The teacher said,
“Change doesn’t come in a day. Efforts like these definitely bring about the change that is required. It will definitely come one day.”
Senior team of KMVS commended my efforts, offering words of encouragement that uplifted my spirit. Their support played a key role in launching this campaign successfully. A woman personally came to me and said that she thoroughly enjoyed the program. An old woman, very interestingly mentioned why all laws are for women and none for men.
Moments like these reaffirm the impact of collective efforts in creating meaningful change and inspire continued action for a brighter future.
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