We are participating in Give India’s Fundraising Challenge from Feb 1st to March 3st to support our continued fight for gender equality.
Every day across India women and children are faced with the severe impacts of gender-based violence (GBV). GBV is deeply embedded and represented in the high rates of sex worker abuse, forced child marriages, human trafficking and domestic violence. It is the product of India’s long-standing patriarchal society, and has meant that the safety of women and children has become endangered.
The National Crime Records Bureau Crime in India 2021 report found that there were a total of over 428,000 crimes against women registered in 2021. This, they found, was a 15.3% increase to the rate of crimes in 2020. The report also found that over 129,000 crimes against children were registered, which was a 16.3% increase from 2020.
Snehalaya was founded by Girish Kulkani because he witnessed the challenges that women were facing in his hometown of Ahmednagar. Sex workers are among the most vulnerable community of people in India as they face a high risk of contracting HIV/AIDs and experiencing assault/abuse. This also puts their children at risk of being born with HIV/AIDs, and of experiencing abuse, exploitation or neglect. These challenges faced by women and children in Ahmednagar are a snapshot of the impacts GBV has across India.
Our projects seek to end the impacts of systemic violence that women and children suffer every day in Ahmednagar. Our women’s shelter provides safety and respite for women fleeing violence. Our rehabilitation centre provides a home for children who don’t have guardians to care for them properly. We have a dedicated team of case workers who work hard to support sex workers who operate across Ahmednagar, and another team that works hard to rescue children from abuse. Across our organisation, our teams work tirelessly to protect and support women and children who have faced the impacts of GBV.
Our projects have continued to grow and exceed our expectations. We have been able to reduce contraction of HIV from 17% to 3.4%. We have worked to provide stable housing and education for the children of sex-workers from across Ahmednagar. We support the operation of the #1 ranked Childline in India, which helps put a stop to forced child marriage, trafficking and child abuse. But as the statistics have shown, the challenges women and children face continue to exist across India. Our work continues to be important.
This is why we are participating in Give India’s Fundraising Challenge from Feb 1st to March 31st. Every donation contributed during this challenge will be amplified with matching rewards. We are setting a target of $30,000 for this campaign. If we meet this target we will receive an extra financial reward from Give India.
This is one of many ways that you can support our work. If you are not able to donate, you can help us by spreading awareness of our projects and sharing this story. You can also use Give India’s ‘Start a Fundraiser’ feature to start your own Snehalaya Fundraiser, which will help us meet our target. If you are interested in volunteering, or contributing in another way you can contact us to speak to our dedicated team. Remember, every little bit helps.
Comments