According to UN Women, gender-based violence refers to “harmful acts directed at an individual or a group of individuals based on their gender. It is rooted in gender inequality, the abuse of power and harmful norms”. In 2021, the World Health Organisation (WHO) noted that at least one in three women has experienced some form of gender-based violence. However, less than 40 percent of women among those subjected to violence seek any sort of help, the rest being unreported. In India, there has been a rise of 26.35% in cases of crimes against women in the last 6 years and it reports one of the largest number of cases in South Asia.

The project aims to strengthen various institutional mechanisms that are set up for combating Gender Based Violence (GBV) in India through a multifaceted campaign across the country. The campaign aims to convene various stakeholder discussions among civil societies, NGOs, law enforcement agencies, judiciary and other community groups to understand areas of coordination among stakeholders so as to produce the desired change on the ground. It also aims to be a platform to share various best practices for fighting gender-based violence and identify commonalities in their efforts to counter the same in India. GBV survivors will also be an integral part of the campaign, sharing their journey from being victims to strong survivors while also advocating against GBV. The campaign approach will be inclusive of various aspects like prevention, mitigation, response and recovery from GBV.

Project Goals

1. Identify the gaps in the GBV mitigation systems, including institutional procedures and policy frameworks, in India.
2. Familiarise with US best practices in India to tackle GBV among stakeholders from government, civil society and survivors in their ground-level efforts.
3. Empower GBV survivors and civil society to initiate collective action at all stages (prevention, response and rehabilitation) of the fight against GBV.
4. Initiate dialogues and discussions of key inputs and findings from the study among institutions with heightened potential to influence policy and legal landscape. Institutions will include prominent law universities, think tanks, government training academies of the judiciary, police and institutions offering programmes on gender.
5. Understand the workings of existing technology-led solutions in India.