Breakthrough Advocacy Meet in Lucknow
The advent of a progressive civil law on domestic violence –“Protection of Women against Domestic Violence Act, 2005” after strong lobbing for many years by many leading women’s rights organization, has given millions of women across India a way to deal with violence within homes. Since then many organizations across the country, who are working on this issue, are trying to create awareness about the law in the general public.
In 2008 Breakthrough focused its campaign “Bell Bajao” on promoting communities specially men and boys to take action against domestic violence and promote the PWDVA law. We sensitized over 130 million people across the country, through mass media, community education and mobilization activities working with multiple stakeholders including government (Ministry of Women and Child Development), media, and hundreds of civil society organizations across the country.
On 7th Oct 2010, in collaboration with Jagori, Breakthrough organized a one day state level advocacy meeting in Lucknow with local NGO’s and give their inputs for the effective implementation of the PWDVA law in Uttar Pradesh and help us in creating an equitable world where women have the right to live a violence free life. It was attended by 25 participants from around 12 organizations working in various districts of UP. The group discussed and made presentations on various challenges, learning’s and suggestions for the same. The group decided to advocate at:
STRUCTURAL LEVEL
• Proper Budget Allocations/ Qualified PO independent charge / inter organization coordination / maintaining time line etc.
LEGAL AND ADVOCACY LEVEL
• Shift the law to Ministry of Legal Affairs
• Interim order to be given precedence
• Social audit of PO’s at district level/ M&E of the law and its implementation.
AWARENESS/ MEDIA INTERVENTIONS
• Awareness/Doc / training for addressing structural and legal problems
• Watch and action committee
• Institutionalization of the law in colleges and university
• Sexual violence highlighting the issue within PWDV
• Activism at Tehsil level- tehsil days; with doctors etc.
The awareness generation on the issue and PWDVA by various players has resulted in massive demand for services. The current services are inadequate to deal with this increasing demand. The reality is that the law is new, the infrastructure including shelters is not yet in place , there is a lack of trained and qualified protection officers, and gender biases exists within the system which is insensitive to an abused woman’s need.
According to a study conducted by Lawyers Collective, in Uttar Pradesh, with a population of 166,197,921 in 70 districts, there are only 70 Protection Officers. The number of cases dealt by these 70 POs between April 2008 and July 2009 is only 3892. Survey results of NFHS (05 -06) show that UP is currently ranked at 6th position with 42.2% of ever married women facing domestic violence. These figures do not represent the complete scenario, since most cases go unreported as there is a lot of stigma attached to receiving help from institutional sources such as police or social service organizations.
This ineffectiveness of the system has been shared by many participants in Breakthrough meetings (in UP, Delhi, and Karnataka) One example of this ineffectiveness of the system is highlighted in Shamshad’s case. Shamshad after undergoing leadership training from Breakthrough filed a case under the PWDVA. The insensitivity of the government agencies and the police along with the brutality by her husband resulted in her death. Breakthrough had interviewed her a month before her death.
Participants at the Advocacy Meet watching Shamshad’s story
Sadly, Shamshad is one among thousands of women who are facing similar apathy from concerned bodies across the country. Thus, there is an urgent need for creating awareness around the issue of domestic violence and advocating for the effective implementation of the PWDVA with opinion leaders, service providers and gate keepers.
We, at Breakthrough, will try to share resources and information around the issue and advocate collectively through various events.
Breakthrough Staff & Partners
Tagged breakthrough, breakthrough event, Community, domestic violence, india, Law, stop domestic violence
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Nasim AnsariOctober 10, 2010 at 3:16 am
Good effort for effective implementation of PWDV act 2005. Thank you very much.
Nasim Ansari
Tarun Chetna Pratapgarh
U.P.-INDIA