Beyond Breakthrough’s more intensive focus on youth outreach, it reaches out to diverse communities, such as local leaders and opinion makers, service providers, staff of government agencies (teachers, health workers, protection officers, civil servants, police). Breakthrough shares knowledge and ideas about human rights and to reshape individual attitude and promote structural and systemic change with respect to rights based issues, such as violence against women with the Bell Bajao! campaign.  To transform the underlying attitudes and norms that lead to the violation of human rights, the leadership of large numbers of people is required which is why Breakthrough conducts its work through the forging of partnerships. The partners interact with multiple constituencies in the areas where Breakthrough works, expanding the scope and scale of its impact.

As Breakthrough partners are drawn from the NGO sector, corporate sector, entertainment industry, donor community and the government, each has a distinct set of skills and resources and a unique role to play.  In the process of partnering Breakthrough develops stakeholders who become vested in the program and the issue being promoted.

CASE STUDIES

The sister of one of our Rights Advocate, Shamshad lived in abject poverty and was a victim of Domestic violence for many years. She tried taking recourse to police and made trips to the protection officer under PWDV Act but the system turned a deaf ear to her. On 1st Dec 09, unable to bear the abuse, she committed suicide. The above video is her statement recorded some time earlier when the Breakthrough had last met her.

As a next step for the Shamshad case a mega Breakthrough community mobilization event Shashakta Hejje Mela” i.e. Towards Empowerment was held on 23rd January 2010.  200 women from SHG groups and Anganwadi workers whom Breakthrough had trained on the issue of domestic violence, women’s rights, gender, and sexuality actively participated in the program in spite of a bus strike. In addition to the women, there were officials present from the State Commission of Women and Child Development; Vimochana – a women’s rights organization; DEEDS a legal rights organization and our Breakthrough staff and board member Neelam Deo. This meeting highlighted the current situation of domestic violence within Karnataka and advocated for the effective implementation of the Protection of Women Against Domestic Violence, Act 2005 and the need for adequate support structures like shelter homes, legal aid, sensitive and well trained protection officers and police.

Not many Kilometers away from the information technology hub of the country (Bangalore) in Tumkur district, women didn’t have access to clean water for daily usage. These women were at the mercy of the village leaders who were unaffected by their impoverished condition. Breakthrough trained the community women about their basic rights in the context of gender, patriarchy and violence. While discussing about rights the women, they mentioned about the village water tank, which was very dirty and resulted in people falling ill frequently. The women also had to spent a lot of time filtering and boiling the water. With Breakthrough’s intervention, the women felt empowered to take up this issue with the Panchayat resulting in the Panchayat sanctioning the cleaning up of the tank.

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. Read more…