The Delhi Secretariat has evolved out of the Mahila Panchayat Network, a coalition of 16 NGOs for taking ahead the campaign to stop violence against women, and creating a possible model for other states. The Mahila Panchayats are community based arbitration forums that evolved in 1994 out of Action India’s work in the communities living in the slums of Delhi and have gained social recognition for their deliberations in the course of ensuring gender justice. Action India has now formed a network of 38 Mahila Panchayats in collaboration with 16 NGOs. All the members of the Panchayat are women and they function with the understanding of women’s particular vulnerabilities due to her gender. This was made possible with financial support from the Delhi Commission for Women which up-scaled the Mahila Panchayat network in 2000 to reach across the NCT of Delhi. In the past 3 years Action India provided intensive training and legal resources to enable 94 paralegal workers in as MNGO with
15 NGOs to work with a gender perspective on issues of violence against women. Now the DCW has planned to add 6 new NGOs to the Mahila Panchayat Network doubling the numbers from 38 to 84 Panchayats. The Mahila Panchayat Network has activated over 1500 volunteers. As a support strategy the Delhi Model envisages a dynamic relationship with the Protection Officers in bringing the PWDVA to every corner of the capital city enabling victims of violence to make the best use of the new law.

Over the last few months (2007) the Mahila Panchayat network organizations, paralegals and Mahila Panchayat members have met regularly to discuss and devise strategies for proper implementation of the Act in Delhi and also to develop a second line of leadership to strengthen the movement for women’s rights of protection from violence. The strategy meetings revealed that the women in the Mahila Panchayats have developed a powerful sense of ownership of the Act. They perceive themselves as change agents, in changing their own lives as well as the lives of other women and derive strength from this purpose. They also perceive women’s solidarity as a source of power.

Since there is such a network of women ready for work, it is a challenge and an opportunity to enable the proper utilization of the PWDVA. And for this more capacity building of the women would be necessary. They also need to share regularly about their experiences in applying the Act. It can be expected that in the future these women would be strategizing for prevention of domestic violence. The strategy meetings and other workshops and Sammelan are opportunities for building up relationships with the other stakeholders instrumental for proper utilization and implementation of the Act. These are also opportunities for advocacy. It will be important to sustain the relationships already built and the Government and its agencies recognize the same.

The National Secretariat has thus begun the process of evolving a Delhi model and zonal meetings have been initiated in August 2007, to ensure that the new law is taken to women from each household to find and assess how this law can better their own lives.

Our Mahila Panchayayts and NGOs/CBOs are based in the areas itself and they are the key people who can tell us what are the hurdles and what all can be done to make the systems work for women and make justice available to them. Spreading public awareness to increasing the sensitivities of stakeholders, police, judges and protection officers, has been a major challenge for the 16 NGO Network, working with 38 Mahila Panchayats with a volunteer strength of 1200 women (2007). Taking the woman to court and helping her get what she wants - stop violence and ensure the reliefs given in the law – will be a major strategy in testing the efficacy of PWDVA. With this purpose and goal in mind the Secretariat of the Delhi Model worked at 3 levels of activism and advocacy.

1. At the grassroots - members of the Mahila Panchayat and paralegal workers zonal committee

2. Mahila Panchayat Coordinators from 16 NGOs - Core Group

3. CEO’s of above NGOs working in tandem with the Delhi Commission for Women and other Stakeholders

The first round of the zonal meetings held on 22nd, 27th and 29th Aug and 5th Sept 07.

A core group was constituted in each zone to take up the implementation of the law in their own work areas. In each zone, a group of 10-12 women from various organizations decided to meet monthly to discuss and develop modalities and actively involve themselves in removing hurdles which women and girls face while approaching Courts for justice. A zonal committee was elected/selected.

The concerned paralegals and a few selected women from the mahila panchayat were to be trained to work independently handling major issues concerning the implementation of PWDVA. With the aim to gain gender justice, they would spread awareness and raise consciousness in respect of discrimination and violence against women in the community. They would assess the present ground situation in terms of administration of justice and make interventions to enable POs and Magistrates to interpret the PWDVA to guarantee equal justice to women under the present set up and bring about innovative changes, wherever necessary. These women will meet once a month in the four zones to share their experiences. The following agenda for action was set:

• Identify work areas such as spreading awareness and education around PWDVA

• Facilitate effective intervention with local POs, police and MLA

• Develop gender neutral attitudes and behavioural change in the communities

• Enable judicial officers to deal sensitively with issues of direct concern in cases of violence – hence to meet with local district courts and the judicial magistrate

• Find out local available budgets and fund in this regard from the MLAs

Members of the 4 zones met regularly once a month at the venue in different organization.

A summary of the progress report is given below.

Once a month zonal committee members met centrally to report on their activities, assesses the progress, learns from each others experience and make plans to move forward.

Each zonal committee decided to carry forward the work on the following issues:

1. They felt the need for in-depth knowledge of the PWDVA in order to apply the law this would mean legal resource inputs and training.

2. Spreading awareness among the public – there was a demand for suitable education material which could be easily used by paralegals.

3. Active intervention in case work from the mahila panchayats would be attempted by contacting and coordinating with the area Protection Officers in taking women to the magistrate to gain orders.

4. They had taken a delegation to meet the Director, Social Welfare Department with an offer to cooperate with POs and make up for the lack of infrastructure details of the letter to Ms Sonika Singh.

5. Contacting and coordinating with the area police – direct interaction with the local police had begun leading to a demand for gender sensitization of the police at the Thana level.

6. Data of the government organizations of the area and the service providers was to be collected to prepare zonal directory.

7. Monthly zonal meetings would be held and written reports presented at the coordination meeting.

8. Rules for the zonal committee members were to be formulated to facilitate effective functioning. Particularly regular attendance was recognized as an important component for the success of the zonal strategy to implement the law. To overcome constraints of time and cost of travel the members worked out a small budget requirement of Rs 400 per month in each zone and appointed one person responsible for maintaining the accounts. The Delhi Secretariat agreed to cover this amount of Rs 1600 per month from its own budget.

9. Posters and pamphlets for public education and communication would be necessary and this also would be provided from the Delhi Secretariat office.

10. Members demanded legal training for using DIR in order to take women directly to the magistrate.

11. They also recognize the importance of following up on the court cases which again would require time and money.

12. Meeting and coordinating with the local Crime Against Women Cell, area Magistrate and motivating legal aid lawyers from Delhi Legal Service Authority to come to the community.

Note Book & lgt] ljy & ?kjsyw fgalk dkuwu The preparation of a spiral note book with concepts of human rights in simple language and information on how a victim of violence may use the PWDVA,2005 was the outcome of the collective effort of the Delhi Secretariat. The note book has proved to be very handy for grassroots workers and in great demand from other organizations outside the Mahila Panchayat Network. It has been distributed in Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chandigarh, Jhansi, Lucknow and Kanpur. The note book has now gone for reprinting of another 2000 copies.

Publication and dissemination of the PWDVA,2005 Rules and Regulation, FAQs in English and Hindi have been widely distributed at meetings and workshops. A set of 4 posters printed in English and Hindi presents the essence of the law with a message to men to join the campaign to end VAW and resolve to create violence free homes. The demand for education material has come from many states where representatives have attended the National Conferences and look to us for information and connection to a national campaign to implement the PWDVA,2005. (This IEC material was prepared for the Second National Women’s Conference)

Our attend to reach grassroots workers and women has been guiding principle in the writing of the booklet CEDAW with the message HksnHkko feVkvks] lekurk ykvks* to create awareness of gender discrimination in the family and community with the focus on state accountability. The illustrations created by our artist present an ideal state consciously avoiding a literal depiction of gender disparity. The beauty of the booklet lies in its aesthetic appeal to the feminine sensitivity. The articles reproduced from the convention are explained concretely through situations to give the reader an understanding of the concepts of women’s rights as human rights. In so doing we have integrated the right to live a life free of violence as given to women of India by the PWDVA, 2005.

For better and effective co-ordination: we formed Delhi Secretariat:

• divided Delhi into four zones

• one Zonal committee in each zone

• each zonal committee comprising 5-6 CBOs

• each zonal committee having about 15 individual members

• one central exchange and discussion meeting and one monthly zonal level meeting

• NS supporting local travel and meeting expenses

• Each committee has own rules and targets - autonomy

• Meeting and building rapport with area PO, SP, Police, NGOs etc

• Creating and keeping data base of entire zone – MLAs, local counselors of MCD, police stations and chowkis, medical, shelter, legal aid, lawyers, hospitals, dispensaries - phones and names – meeting each head personally to talk about the DV Law

• Providing assistance to PO in home visit, home search, service of notice

• Making home visit reports for and on behalf of PO

• Follow up and monitoring court case if in their area

• Assisting women, taking her to court directly in some cases – DIRECT ACCESS TO JUSTICE

• Liasoning with DLSA to get legal aid – follow up with lawyer

• Trainings – social, legal and with police

• Capacity Building of ourselves and others.

• Advocacy and awareness building on PWDVA local levels – developing role plays, songs, IEC material, street plays, placards, banners etc

• And before doing for others, we have ourselves undergone several day long intensive trainings on understating the scope of the new law and ways of filling DIR, approaching Magistrates and documenting case files. Eg Vikasini case documentation is like any DCW notings –

• Court cases undertaken with or without PO – our aim are to lessen the burden of Pos – assist them and not overburden them. Documentation by network important. And hence building up KNOWLEDGE BASE.

• 38 Mahila Panchayat are in operation at present

• More than 1500 cases handling by Mahila Panchayat

Mahila Panchayat Network: Supported by Delhi Commission for Women

Action India is the Mother NGO of the Mahila Panchayat network. Other network partners involved in the Mahila Panchayat program are: ADHAAR, MAMTA, Child Survival India, MRYDO, Bal Vikas Dhara, Navsrishty, Yuva Chetna Mandal, Vikashini, DBS, Lady Help, Guild of Service, BAADR, Surnirman, INDCARE, and Navjyoti Development Society

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