Core Program Areas and Projects

stance against gender based violence and action based programmes are two major components of our work. Since its beginning, Speak Out and counselling centre of Manch is active in Pune. As the movement’s understanding of gender based violence enhanced, Manch’s work also changed with changing times.

Centre gave a platform for women to vent out when talking about unpleasant experiences in private sphere carried a huge stigma. As we went on listening to women, need for systematic help such as counselling as well as medical and legal aid was realized. Thus, it took the form of ‘Crisis Intervention Centre’. Since then the centre’s work is carried out without break. Manch always stood for the rights of survivors of violence and regaining their self-esteem. The motto of Gender Equality led to initiation of separate speak out and counselling facility for men, ‘Purush Samvaad Kendra’.

The counselling centre of Manch is operational for over 35 years. ‘Gender Sensitive Counselling’ is a distinctive feature of counselling provided by Manch. As a science and ‘art’ of helping, counselling should be value neutral; however, value neutrality may lead to ‘gender blindness’. Our experience indicated that the counsellor who themselves are ‘social constructs’ of the same patriarchal society, tend to look at woman or rather any aggrieved person as ‘maladjusted’ rather than the ‘victim’; and expect, especially women, to adjust in the marriage, which is supposed to be the only ‘alternative’ for rehabilitation. For us the goal of counselling is not ‘the adjustment’ but creating strength and assertiveness to make one’s own choices and assume responsibility of those choices. If reconciliation is possible, we focus on preserving ‘self-esteem’ of a woman and helping both partners to cope up with each other and develop a relationship of mutual respect going beyond gender stereotypes. If conciliation is not possible, we advise them to take the course of legal action. So far, Manch has handled more than 3000 complaints successfully. Manch has also extended counselling support for the cases in counselling centre at Police Commissioner’s Office, Pune, for three years.For prevention of violence against women, having dialogue with men is necessary to sensitize them on gender inequalities. With this view, Manch started a Speak out and counselling facility specially for men ‘Dr Satyaranjan Sathe Purush Samvaad Kendra’. Manch also organises trainings on ‘Gender Sensitive Counselling’.

Beyond this, our members also work as resource persons on the issues such as violence against women, domestic violence, and sexual harassment of women at the workplace.

The major concern of women survivors of violence approaching Manch was of shelter as many of them were thrown out of homes by their in-laws and denial of parents to help them. With a view to provide a temporary but safe shelter, where they can stay and gain strength for their life battle; Manch started a short stay home ‘Aaple Ghar’ (Our Home). This was run for 12 years where approximately 1000 women and 250 children could get help. Support from HIVOS and Tata Trust enabled us to venture for this.Strict discipline or high walls in the name of security was not the nature of Aaple Ghar, rather it was a place where women could stay together, cook, learn from each others’ experiences. It was a non-hierarchical and friendly system which helped women to gain necessary strengths. But changing rules regarding license to run a shelter home and growing problems in management compelled us to close the facility.

To create and develop ideological base of the organization, Manch members often have discussions and brainstorming and decide the position on specific issues of concern. To promote gender equality, Manch organised different workshops, seminars, consultations as well as public events from time to time. Most of these programmes are conducted in Marathi and a brief description is given below.

Conference of Single women organised in 1987 was attended by more than 225 women from urban and rural areas of Pune. The collection of narratives of single women was later published by Manch as, ‘Aparajitanche Nishwas.’ (Sighs of the undefeated)

In International Family Year 1994, a conference was organised to discuss various contentious issues associated with family life. Areas for discussion included redefining family, extended family and companionship based on equality.

A consultation was organised on burning issue of the time; burnt women. It was observed that Hindu women took resort to burning themselves and it is also used as weapon in violence against women. Hence the consultation was organised with a view to understand the plight of such women as well as the clinical aspects of it.

Print media especially, newspapers plays a vital role as an ‘opinion maker’. Most of the media highlight women as middle-class house wives. On this background Manch organised a consultation focusing on Image of Women in Media and need to change it.

In 1997-98, Manch undertook a documentation project to capture significant contributions of women in different fields, which would have remained unrecognised otherwise. Mr. Abhijit Varde interviewed and photographed the women and Vidya Bal edited the book, ‘Daughters of Maharashtra’. The amount from the sale of this book was utilised for an award with the same name to recognise significant contributions of women working in social sphere. This was awarded for ten years and the awardees are mainly working in rural, tribal or at urban community levels on different issues of women’s concern.

To raise awareness about self-esteem of women, Manch had organised a conference which was attended by 250 women from different Mahila Mandals (Women’s groups) and Self-Help Groups. Many aspects of Self Esteem were brought in to discussion through different exercises and group work.

It was a campaign that lasted for one year in 2002-03. Combating inequalities, violence and terrorism and promoting equality and non-violence was the objective of the campaign as the very name of the campaign suggested, paths of peace. The campaign began on 2nd October, birth anniversary of the greatest champion of non-violence, Mahatma Gandhi. Prof. Yashwant Sumant delivered a speech on ‘Mahatma Gandhi’s views on Non-Violence’. Renowned singer Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande rendered bhajans and Gandhian activist Ilaben Bhat’s speech concluded the programme.During the campaign, many programmes were organised focusing on the values such as non-violence, humanity and equality. Police officers Mr. Madhav Sanap and Mr. Arun Khopde shared their work with respect to attitudinal shifts of criminals, experience sharing by activists in Mahila Rajsatta Andolan, the play directed by Chetan Datar ‘Manto – Sarhad se Bajar Tak’ were few notable events of the campaign.

The issue became a topic of national debate with the incident of sexual violence against Bhanwari Devi in 1993. Voluntary organizations supported Bhanwari in her struggle for justice and filed a writ petition in Supreme court requesting to guide for prevention of sexual harassment of women at workplace. The Supreme Court gave guidelines highlighting women’s right to work and safe workplace which became known as ‘Vishakha Guidelines’.Since these guidelines came in existence in 1997, Manch has organised many workshops as well as a conference to raise awareness on the guidelines and its implementation. Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act came into force in 2013 and the implementation became mandatory with specific penal provisions for non-implementation. Manch members work as external member on the committees at different workplaces. The law is indeed important with respect to recognition of sexual harassment as workplace issue and commitment to take preventive and corrective measures for it. Manch regularly conducts training programmes for members of committees and sensitization sessions for employees.Currently Manch engages with this issue extensively. More details of the ongoing work can be found here.