Helping women in distress fight back

NEW DELHI - Women from varied backgrounds shared stories of their trials and triumphs at a cultural programme organised here to celebrate two decades of the Centre for Social Research (CSR) - an NGO for women in distress.

The programme ‘Expressions-creating female spaces’ was organised Wednesday to honour the accomplishment of the community women by giving them an opportunity to share their personal stories.

“My marriage to my husband was hastily done. I did not even get the time to know him. My husband used to beat me, he did not even spare his mother and sister. After a few years of keeping quiet, I couldn’t take it any more and came to Delhi,” said Shameen, who hails from Azamgarh.

“I came with my daughter with no money or support. I didn’t know what to do. CSR helped me emotionally and financially,” added Shameen.

Many women like her, victims of domestic abuse, shared their tales of fighting back.

The counsellors of CSR’s crisis intervention centre related how they help women in distress.

“Women usually come to us to seek separation. After counselling them and their husbands separately, we try to be act as mediators to sort out their issues. Some work out some don’t,” said one of the counsellors.

CSR director Ranjana Kumari said that apart from honouring women who had survived despite all odds, the programme was also organised to spread the message and culture of respecting women, especially in Delhi.

“Delhi has become very unsafe and violent. There is no culture of respect a woman here. This was an initiative for a community responsibility. We cannot remain mute spectators. We have to spread the word to fight back,” Ranjana Kumari told IANS.

Over 200 women and children from various NGOs, volunteers from over seven colleges and officials from few embassies also came forward to support the cause.