In 2005, LEARN Mahila Aadhar Kendra (LEARN Women’s Support Cell) was started to provide holistic support to victims of domestic, sexual and workplace violence in urban slums. To date, 1610 cases have been registered with LEARN Mahila Aadhar Kendra.
The stories of violence and exploitation indicate intersectionality of gender, patriarchy, class, caste, age, religion, regionalism, linguistic divisions etc. Domestic violence, abandonment, cheating, breach of trust, domestic strife, intimate partner violence, workplace conflicts, and child sexual abuse characterise the different types of cases that come to the women’s support cell.
LEARN Mahila Aadhar Kendra provides grievance handling, family counselling and victim support services, as well as linkages with police stations and courts. It takes up cases of child sexual abuse and collaborates with lawyers for pro bono legal services.
In collaboration with Majlis, we conduct legal awareness camps in slum communities. For its grassroots leaders, Majlis conducted ‘Para Legal Understanding for Social Workers’ (PLUS) course to understand the nuances of personal laws, the state apparatus including institutional machinery of the police, protection officers, public prosecutors and courts.
