Posted On: 2022-02-15 17:35:40
Gender discrimination has been a crucial social issue in India for centuries. It can be seen across various sectors such as health care facilities, education, economic and political inequalities between men and women in India. To date, women do not have the complete freedom to make decisions in their life. Be it choosing partners for marriage or pursuing any degree, the choices are not with the women. Well, gender discrimination is not confined to choosing a partner or studying, the 2011 Census shows the child sex ratio among children of 0-6 years to be 918 girls for every 1000 boys in India. This statistic speaks for itself and demands urgent and efficient solutions to address the cause of gender inequality.
This is a multi-branched issue that primarily concerns women, but some argue that various gender equality studies place men at a disadvantage, or that it affects each gender equally. However, when India's population is examined as a whole, women are at a disadvantage in several important ways.
Right from a young age, women are made to believe that they’re inferior. The ideas of misogyny and patriarchy are so deep-rooted that the women become indifferent fighting against them.
Various non-profit organizations work to spread awareness about the problems faced by women, help them tackle the circumstances of injustice on all terms (social, political, legal, emotional). Listed below are 10 NGOs in India that work for women to get legal justice and encourage them to take their lives into their own hands.
The Self Employed Women’s Association- SEWA was established in 1972 by Ela Bhatt in Gujarat. Initially, a trade union, SEWA is now recognized globally. The main purpose of the organization is to strengthen women by giving them identity as informal workers. Along with that, they work on women workers’ rights and use non-violent methods of demonstrations like marches and meetups. It is the single largest Women’s organization in India that has built a supply chain of artisans, SEWA trade facilitation Centre company owned and managed by 50,000 women artisans. SEWA Bank, SEWA movement, SEWA Bharat are a few of its sister organizations. SEWA has 1.9 million women members proudly representing their rights, as of now.
Contact: 7925506444
Email: mail@sewa.org
Guria is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to fighting child prostitution, second-generation prostitution, and sex trafficking in Northern India, and to achieving freedom worldwide. The NGO helps women get legal justice, provide counseling, and financial support. Due to the stigma surrounding sexual assault, it helps the victim with all the necessities to fight their case starting from filing an FIR to helping them collect evidence. Their lawyers help prepare the victims for the court.
Contact: 91-542-2504253
Email: guria.freedomnow@gmail.com
ActionAid India is part of a global federation and a full affiliate of ActionAid International. Gauravi is their 24×7 one-stop crisis center. It caters to domestic and sexual violence victims of any age including minor boys. They run a shelter home for women. The victims are also provided with counseling, intervention, legal help, medical help, as well as social rehabilitation. Here the victim women are not forced to take legal action against their will, but if necessary ActionAid India is always set with a legal team to do so.
Contact: +91 80 25586293
Email: fundindia@actionaid.org
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Established in 1989 by Dr. Girish Kulkarni, Snehalaya aims to eradicate inequality, cruelty, and discrimination towards women, and children. It provides education to children of sex workers and palliative care for people affected by HIV/AIDS. Their programs are primarily for women and children affected by poverty and the commercial sex industry. They rescue and rehabilitate trafficked and forced sex workers providing a safe haven, free counseling, legal aid, vocational training, and alternative work. The NGO also works for LGBT communities affected by poverty. Their special projects include producing sanitary pads, providing space to women to make and sell their art, and inculcating vital language skills.
Contact:+91 0241 2778353
Email: info@snehalaya.org
AZAD Foundation is a feminist foundation with a vision to shape the world where all women are able to access livelihoods with dignity, generate wealth and value, and create a sustainable and more equal world for all. At the Foundation, women go through a six-month course that includes self-awareness, defense training, sexuality, reproductive rights, and the like. It supports more than 2000 crore women to gain employability for decent work. Their project “Women on Wheel” has empowered urban women to become professional drivers making transportation safer for women in India.
Contact: +91 9599981661 | +91 9599981661
North East Network (NEN), was established as part of the Beijing World Conference on Women, in 1995. It aims to empower communities and build skills of grassroots women leaders to generate awareness on violence against women; its causes and consequences. They provide counseling to address the issue of abuse & violence and spread awareness of the Domestic Violence Act. The counselors help build a network with appropriate government authorities and the agencies which put policy measures in place to address the abuse and discrimination faced by women. They also engage women in livelihood initiatives based on their skills and strengths. The organization covers Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, and other parts of North East India.
Contact:+91-94350-17824
Email: assam@northeastnetwork.org
Child Help Foundation (CHF) is working towards creating an equal platform for both boys and girls in the community. Their goal is to promote the education of the girl child. CHF’s Gender Equality Program is aligned with the National Program ‘Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao’. Their grassroots level programs are eliminating gender biases and creating a level playing field for both boys and girls. CHF believes that women need to be empowered to stand up for their Fundamental as well as Human Rights.
Contact: +91-9702929267
Email: contact@childhelpfoundationindia.org
Shikshan Ane Samaj Kalyan Kendra (SSKK) was started in 1980. They work towards establishing a sustainable life for women and children. They do so by addressing crimes against women and establishing self-help groups that train women to earn a sustainable livelihood. SSKK also helps women build self-help groups to establish a sustainable livelihood. They have carved a niche for themselves by supporting and redefining the status of women and helping them become self-reliant, self-dependent, and lead a life of self-respect.
Contact:+91 02792 223525
Email: info@sskkamreli.org
For over 70 years, CARE has been instrumental in supporting women and girl children by planning and organizing projects to help them have access to quality education, healthcare services (maternal and child), and sustainable livelihood opportunities. The organization also provides immediate support to victims of disasters and helps to rehabilitate them, along with organizing schools to ensure young girls get the education they need.
Founded by the award-winning gender equality activist Dr. Shruti Kapoor, Sayfty has made waves in ensuring girls and women are equipped with the right tools and mindset to advocate for their own safety. The horrific rape of Jyoti Singh in 2012 received international responses of disgust and is what prompted Dr. Kapoor to initiate action within India by forming Sayfty. Its mission is to educate and empower women & girls against all forms of violence through education and multiple self-defense workshops and campaigns to provide a platform and safe space to women and girls for open conversation against gender-based violence. Sayfty is all about bringing confidence to women and girls to protect themselves in the unfortunate and deplorable situation in which they encounter perpetrators.
Email: team@sayfty.com
Apart from the above mentioned, there are several non-profit organizations working tirelessly to protect, guide women, provide shelter and legal assistance to fight against the odds they face.
Together, by supporting them and our women in distress, we can and will end this fight against gender discrimination.
Author : Anjali patel
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