In recent years ActionAid India’s campaign to assert women’s rights as human rights, and our interventions took a strategic turn in advocating for proactive steps by various State Governments to address the growing instances of violence against women. One of the highlights of our interventions has been a far greater push for One Stop Crisis Centres to be opened up in the states we are operating. This is a follow up on the successful collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh Government where we provide technical assistance to the Gauravi centre for women survivors of violence for past two years.

ActionAid India promotes women’s collectives that provide economic, social and political independence to women. Questions around women’s work, wages, gender division of labour and unpaid work occupy our strategic thinking and interventions. We build awareness about sexual health and reproductive health issues among adolescents and young women and we have also initiated steps to include men and boys in all our interventions to further women’s rights.

Ruhana is 16 years old and one of the best students at a local computer class run by one of our partner organisations in Juhapura, Gujarat. Computer class in Juhapura is run by a local organisation where about 12 batches of 10-12 students each, learn M S Office, DTP and Tally for a nominal course fee of about 200 rupees. The class is open from 9 in the morning till 9 in the evening to allow flexible hours to students. Most of the students are young girls and boys from 10th to 12th standard who want to gain these skills to open new possibilities for their futures.

ActionAid India’s recent achievements:

• More than 30,000 women are now part of collectives we support.
• 11,000 girls were trained on sexual health rights .
• 9,000 women were provided skills training – including craft making, weaving, zardozi work and driving.
• 700 women survivors of violence received our support from various resource centres linked to ActionAid.
• India’s first One-Stop Crisis Centre was set up by MP government in collaboration with ActionAid and similar tie-ups are happening in other states as well. A similar initiative called Asha Jyoti Kendra is now underway in Uttar Pradesh.