Domestic violence is a global issue reaching across national boundaries as well as socio-economic, cultural, racial and class distinctions. This problem is not only widely dispersed geographically, but its incidence is also extensive, making it a typical and accepted behavior. Domestic violence is widespread, deeply ingrained and has serious impacts on women’s health and well-being. Its continued existence is morally indefensible. Its cost to individuals, to health systems and to society is enormous. Yet no other major problem of public health has been so widely ignored and so little understood.
Domestic violence can be described as the power misused by one adult in a relationship to control another. It is the establishment of control and fear in a relationship through violence and other forms of abuse. This violence can take the form of physical assault, psychological abuse, social abuse, financial abuse, or sexual assault. The frequency of the violence can be on and off, occasional or chronic.
The World Health Organization reports that the proportion of women who had ever experienced physical or sexual violence or both by an intimate partner ranged from 15% to 71%, with the majority between 29% and 62%.
AWAG (Ahmedabad Women’s Action Group) has been actively involved with the issue of domestic violence inflicted on women in Gujarat since 1981. AWAG developed its own ideology that advocates –‘A family does not make a woman; it is a woman who makes a family’. As a result, with the mission of preserving the individuality of women, AWAG initiated its struggle against domestic violence inflicted on women with a women-centric approach through direct interventions such as awareness-raising and community organization, as well as through collaborative interventions such as advocacy and networking.
AWAG is involved in numerous activities, yet the issue of violence against women is a common thread through all of its interventions. The main thrust lies in devising and strengthening systems that empower women.
AWAG’s programmes offer awareness raising, psychosocial assistance/counselling, medical treatment and promote the right of all women and girls to live a life free of violence and abuse. The overall endeavour of AWAG is that women awaken and gain insights to the subtle and stark forms of violence be it in their homes, workplace or otherwise; and ultimately stand up to say “NO” to violence!
Spanning its journey over nearly four decades, AWAG has played a catalytic role in the entire process and continues to strive towards the emancipation and empowerment of deprived women and recall the words of its founder Secretary-Dr Ila Pathak…..“Silence Is Not A Virtue; Break The Silence Of Oppression.”