Bringing down gender-based violence (GBV) in remote Odisha villages, “GBV warriors” set up help desks, offer counselling and point victims towards Sakhi centres that offer medical and legal help.
It was 2020 and the world was reeling under the consequences of COVID-19 pandemic.
Reports and data from various corners of India revealed that women were facing a shadow pandemic – domestic violence.
The data were not mere numbers. They were the stories of countless women like Sushila* living in a remote village in the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha.
Sushila’s husband, who had been working in another town, returned home during the lockdown. She was not aware that he had developed a drinking habit while he was away. But when he began demanding money and becoming violent she realised he had a problem.
Already struggling to feed her children, she had no idea where to turn.
Gender-based violence (GBV) is something that is not openly discussed, especially in rural India, leaving many victims like Sushila unsure how to get help.
But a program in Odisha is proving how community-based intervention can be used to support those suffering in silence.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) had received 20,836 complaints of crimes against women between March and December 2020. Of this 4,724 were domestic violence.
While there was a dip in April, from June onwards – during the first intense lockdown – there was an increase in the number of GBV cases.
According to the state police, Odisha recorded 1,212 cases of sexual violence charges between January and June 2020. But the numbers are usually far short of actual instances of abuse as many are reluctant to file a case.
“Many such cases in remote villages go unreported due to cultural norms,” said Uppali Mohanty, programme manager at the Centre for Youth and Social Development (CYSD) – a non-profit organisation working for the welfare of the marginalised in Odisha.
Often women feel that there is no alternate option for them but to tolerate and carry on.
“Fear of backlash and more violence from the perpetrator, stigma and the belief that no one would help, are some of the reasons why women don’t report violence,” Mohanty added.
In 2021 the CYSD conducted a study covering 90 villages of Koraput, Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar districts, to understand the increase of GBV in remote villages.
About 72% of the survivors felt that the violence increased during the pandemic with about 77% of the survivors saying they did not feel safe at home during the lockdown.
“Most were hesitant to report since the woman is generally blamed,” said Mohanty.
The study revealed that 97.8% survivors didn’t get any support from the community.
The GBV cases included harassment and discrimination besides physical, emotional and sexual violence.
Based on their study, the CYSD decided to work in the same 90 villages they had researched to reduce sexual and GBV through community involvement.
The CYSD selected 360 people to become “GBV warriors” – half being frontline workers interacting face-to-face with the women – to work in their own villages.
The organisation trained the warriors about the legal provisions for survivors of domestic violence and about the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act. They learned to counsel the women and record the cases, while maintaining confidentiality. They also began to promote the phone helpline numbers (112, 181 and 1091) available for women in need.
On completing their training, the warriors met women, talked about GBV and the avenues available to them for recourse.
“Initially we met groups of women who talked about the violence they faced at home,” said Khirodini Mahanta, a GBV warrior in her village Sialijada.
Yet, some were reluctant to talk.
The patriarchal mindset, preference for a male child and arguing over extramarital affairs were the primary reasons for the violence. But during the pandemic other factors – like loss of jobs, frustrations due to lack of income and addiction to alcohol – added to domestic violence.
In villages it’s an acceptable norm that the husband has a right to beat you. We convinced them to raise their voice for their dignity and respect.”
“Poverty, the absence of a male child at home due to migration, marriage at an early age and marriage without consent also lead to violence,” said Mahanta. “In villages it’s an acceptable norm that the husband has a right to beat you. We convinced them to raise their voice for their dignity and respect.”
As the next step, help desks were set up in anganwadis (rural childcare centres) in the 90 villages and manned by the anganwadi workers. The GBV warriors were the point of contact. Irrespective of the time of the day, a survivor first approached the GBV warrior when she had a problem. The GBV warrior then helped in registering a case at the help desk.
The help desks gave the women confidence to report abuse.
“Earlier the survivors had no idea whom to approach for help. The help desk bridged that gap,” said Sidheswari Tudu, an anganwadi worker. “It helped in breaking the culture of silence on domestic violence.”
It also helped that GBV warriors, like Prabhati Mohanta, are survivors themselves. Her husband gave up liquor and they now run a small shop. Her own experience helped her empathise and counsel better.
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“As many cases were reported, we formed a committee of self-help group women, panchayat members, sarpanch and GBV warriors,” Sidheswari Sahu, project coordinator at CYSD, told Village Square.
At the first instance of a man beating his wife or selling household items for liquor, the committee confronted him. They warned him that their wife might file a police complaint or take the matter to Sakhi – a one-stop centre that offers medical and legal assistance to survivors.
When the warnings did not work, the committee imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 – a high amount for the villagers. With 30 committees working in 30 villages, these steps helped minimise GBV in villages.
It was a fine that made Sushila’s husband stop the physical abuse. Later he stopped consuming liquor too.
Mahanta cited another example of domestic violence – one that was caused by a man’s extramarital affair.
“When counselling everyone concerned didn’t work, we helped his wife file a complaint at Sakhi,” she said. Only when he received a notice and the police were at his doorstep did the man relent. (ALSO READ: Village Organizations pave way for women’s empowerment)
Recognising the need to break gender norms, CYSD included 90 men as GBV warriors as well.
“It’s important to counsel men too, to (help them) understand and respect women’s needs,” said Subas Chandra Kandila, a male GBV warrior.
They helped identify cases, create awareness, counsel and create a safe environment for women and girls by engaging with many people in the community.
“In a certain case it was obvious the patriarchal norms made a man ill-treat his wife. But after regular counselling, he changed and now the couple is happy,” said Mahesh Tudu, a male GBV warrior.
Here again, counselling is more effective if the male warrior is someone with first-hand experience, like Kamal Lochan Barik, who also used to have a patriarchal mindset.
Since these issues are complicated family affairs, some can take months to resolve. Some cases remain pending and unresolved.
A total of 273 cases were identified in the three districts, out of which 72 cases were reported at the help desk, and 11 were forwarded to Sakhi. Of this 92% was domestic violence, 5% was child marriage and 3% sexual violence.
With such impactful numbers after only 8-months, the organisers are thinking about scaling the programme up to bring about further change.
The lead image at the top of this page shows a GBV warrior, the first point of contact and counselling for survivors (Photo courtesy CYSD)
Rakhi Ghosh is a Bhubaneswar-based journalist.
