Since 1989, Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan (KMVS) has actively worked on women’s empowerment in the Kutch region of Gujarat. Over time KMVS and their broader network of development organizations has created autonomous legal community based organizations (CBOs) which empower women to fight domestic violence.
We are glad to announce that Awaaz.De will be a providing services for KMVS’s ongoing programme “Hello Sakhi”. Hello Sakhi is a legal aid programme run, managed and executed by female community members of KMVS. Its key linkage is with the women’s police station in Bhuj, providing women a reliable phone line to call in case of emergency domestic situations. Offering this service, one challenge has been that often times women are not aware of what constitutes domestic violence, and what their rights actually are. To address that gap KMVS has partnered with Awaaz.De to set up a voice service that will send regular messages to rural women in local dialects. The messages will explain various laws and raise awareness about domestic violence. Prior to the this service, KMVS was using text messages to disseminate this information, but rural Kutchi women artisans had difficulty with this approach. Language was the biggest problem. The voice service has prompting in the Kutchi local vernacular. Women can also call in any time and ask questions on women rights, domestic violence and legal options. The questions will be responded by appropriate legal experts that KMVS has connected to the service.
Awaaz.De means “Give voice.” We are pleased to be a part of KMVS’s work to raise the voices of rural women across Kutch.
