November 25th International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women

Venue: Delhi

Organised by UNITES Professionals in cooperation with Paycheck India Project, ITUC, UNI, and WageIndicator Foundation

Decisions For life website:

http://www.paycheck.in http://www.womenpaycheck.in

http://dfl.wageindicator.org

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On the event of ‘International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women’, a series of

activities were carried out to realize and propagate the importance of the day.

Violence against women and girls is a problem of pandemic proportions. According to

UNIFEM*, at least one in three women in the world has suffered from violence, usually by

someone known to her. In many societies, the legal system and community attitude only add

to the trauma. In the face of this situation, the security of women is not just subliminal

concern, but is a violation of the Human Rights, and thus needs to be addressed more

stringently.

The International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women celebrates the fact that

every woman has a right to live a life free of hostility and unwarranted demands. One of the

initial steps towards such a premonition is to make women “aware” of their rights and its

implications.

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Despite of the numerous efforts and campaigns mobilized in this direction, violence against

women still remains a staggering global setback.

*UNIFEM is an international organization that provides financial and technical assistance to

innovative programs and strategies to foster women’s empowerment and gender equality.

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Activities Undertaken:

Visits to NGOs

1) Manushi

C 1/3, Sangam Estate, 1 Under Hill Road, Civil Lines

New Delhi -110054

About the organization: Manushi Sangathan is a forum for organizing citizen’sgroups for action on specific issues. It works for democratic reforms that wouldpromote greater social justice and strengthen human rights for all, especially forwomen.

Contact person: Madhu Kishwar, Founder President

Interaction: The director was not in the town, so a direct interaction wasn’t possible.

However, when contacted over the email, it was revealed that no event had been

planned as such. The information booklet for DFL was dropped at the organization to

one of the employees.

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2) National Commission for Women

4, Deen Dayal Upadhaya

Marg New Delhi - 110022

About the organization: It is an apex national level organization of India with the

mandate of protecting and promoting the interests of women.

Contact Person: Kareena Thengaman, P.R.O

Interaction: Showed mild awareness about the observance. No specific awareness

program planned to mark the relevance of the day.

3) Action for women and Child Development

B – 38/A, Age Building, Vipin Garden, Uttam Nagar

New Delhi – 110059

About the organization: AWCD plans, supports, empowers, and advocates for

underserved immigrant community especially women and children, irrespective of

ethnic and regional identity, regardless of class, caste, country of origin or religious

affiliation.

Contact Person: Mr. Sushil

Interaction: The Director was quite receptive about the Project details and was given

a brief-up on the same.

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4) Vidya

D-2/2442, Vasant Kunj

New Delhi – 110070

About the organization: This NGO works for underprivileged women and children

and fosters education and empowerment across Delhi, Mumbai and Goa.

Contact Person: Dr. Rekha Chaturvedi, Vice President

Interaction: The vice president was acquainted with the vision and the mission of the

Project. However, nothing was planned to realize the importance of the next day’s

Event.

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5) Waruda

D-165, Arya Samaj Road, Uttam Nagar

New Delhi - 110059

About the organization: The NGO works towards the empowerment of the women

and the elderly at the grass root level.

Contact Person: Dr. Anil Gupta

Interaction: The Director was briefed about the Project in detail and the NGO was

given a few information booklets to give out to women who visit them. This particular

NGO had organized a few workshops in the light of the importance of the

‘International Day of Elimination of Violence against Women.

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6) Save Family Foundation

C-8, Mansa Ram PARK, Uttam Nagar

New Delhi – 110059

About the organization: This foundation works towards promoting peace and

harmony at the marital level and provides a platform to people in distress due to

familial or societal mores, to voice out the concerns. It also aims to collaborate

with different sections of society, other organizations working towards similar

goals, women organizations, government bodies, legal authorities etc for the

betterment of Indian society.

Contact Person: Mr. Gurdarshan

Interaction: The organization was briefed about the Project and contacts were given.

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‘SAFE DELHI for WOMEN CAMPAIGN’

This campaign was a joint initiative of the Department of Women and Child Development –

Delhi Government, JAGORI – a women-centric Organization, UNIFEM (United Nations

Development Fund for Women), and UN HABITAT, to mark a beginning to elimination of

violence against women and in making Delhi a safe and secure place for women to live in

and prosper.

Many dignitaries from across the world proffered the campaign. The campaign was a

highlight upon the initiatives already taken in the direction of fostering safety for women, the

current issues infesting the Indian society and the future initiatives to combat such

impediments. The campaign was followed by a candle light vigil observed by all the

participants, with which all the people present promised themselves to be more active and

work towards in providing a safer environment for women.

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This campaign was employed to promulgate the vision and mission of the ‘Decisions for

Life’ Project. The participants were facilitated with the information booklets and were

acquainted with the project objectives. Also in the presence of several other women-centric

voluntary organizations, the idea of women empowerment was promoted with great vigor.

Experience: An idea about how to organize a Campaign was gained

An in-depth insight into the agenda and objectives hauled by various women-centric

voluntary organizations

It was an opportunity to interact with the masses, having congregated together at

one place, with a common focus – empowering women.

Men and women, as well as young students actively participated at this event

The distinguished speakers had so much to share on the topic and give insight on

various important aspects concerning women empowerment and related issues

Many daily hassles faced by working women across different strata were highlighted

and brought under consideration

With an opportunity to reach out to people at such an impressive scale, the objective

to ‘spread awareness’ among the women was accomplished to a large extent.

In conclusion, the relevance for observing the ‘International Day for the Elimination of

Violence against Women’ was implicitly understood and internalized. Women hailing from

any background or circumstances have a right to decent living, and anybody who does not

respect this basic right of women is liable to be subjected to judicial scrutiny. However, it

becomes the fundamental duty of both men and women to work towards and await a

hopeful future as far as combating violence against women is concerned. With this as the

backdrop, Decisions for Life aspires to empower as many women possible so that the nation

stands on a foundation that is fostered by both men and women equally.

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