FairPlanet.Support
| topic: | Women's rights |
|---|---|
| tags: | #India, #women's rights, #sexual assault, #gender equality |
| located: | India |
| by: | Yair Oded |
Despite proclamations by the BJP-ruled government that it works to promote women’s rights across India, violence against women and the encroachment on their socio-political and human rights run rampant.
All over India, women still suffer from domestic abuse, rape, child marriage, ‘witch-hunting’, and acid-attacks, with their assailers too often acting with impunity.
The Women’s Justice Initiative (WJI), operating as part of the Human Rights Law Network, is a network of lawyers and activists working to defend women’s rights across India.
In each state, WJI maintain a presence of committed attorneys who litigate and advocate on behalf of women, particularly those of marginalized backgrounds.
WJI work directly with women and girls who had undergone any type of abuse (from rape and domestic violence to divorce-related persecution and child trafficking) and provide counseling and representation in their cases. WJI set up helplines across India where they provide both legal and psycho-social aid to women. They also dispatch teams to areas of crisis in order to address severe women’s rights violation.
In addition to working closely with female victims of abuse and representing them in their individual cases, WJI operate on a macro-level in order to increase overall awareness of women’s rights and induce positive systemic changes. They do so through expansive education workshops and training to communities, local law enforcement personnel, criminal justice figures, and judges, as well as relentless advocacy efforts in order to impact policy at the highest levels of government.
Please visit WJI’s website to learn about available internship positions or to pledge a donation.
Image credit: WJI website
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