6 Indian Women’s Rights Organizations That Are Bravely Fighting For Change
Original article – Bustle.com, Elizabeth King
Sadly, women in India have faced significant violations of their human rights for centuries. From rape and domestic violence to forced labor and denial of educational opportunities, the struggle for rights and empowerment is a daunting one for Indian women. In the world’s second-largest country, hundreds of millions of women are still affected by some of these issues. Women’s rights are vital to the success and growth of developing nations, making projects that empower Indian women vital to the well-being of the entire country.
While Indian women and girls technically have constitutional rights equal to men in many regards — including citizenship and access to primary education — the reality is often radically different. Socially, women can be regarded as lesser humans, and face frightening levels of sexual assault and violence.
Because India has a population of 1.2 billion, and has many distinct cultural groups, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to generalize about the population of the entire country. However, it is entirely clear that overall, women need advocates and allies across the country that will fight with them for not only their safety and health, but also for access to further opportunities for empowerment and autonomy. Here are some of the major players committed to improving the lives of women in India.
Commit2Change
64 percent of young girls will drop out of school before the 8th grade in India. In order to combat these high drop-out rates and the lack of educational opportunities for Indian girls, Commit2Change seeks to provide education for orphaned girls and other at-risk young women in India. Commit2Change believes that education is one of the best avenues for young Indian girls to avoid cycles of poverty, provide better access to and information about nutrition, and greatly improve the entire country’s GDP.
Sayfty
WASH United
Sanitation management is a difficult issue across India, and women are highly impacted by lack of access to products that make their periods safe. Lack of education around periods in India creates many problems, in fact, around 10 percent of girls in India think that their period is a kind of disease. WASH United seeks to educate Indian communities about periods and menstruation, hoping to lessen the negative effects of the taboo surrounding periods, and help women and girls to have safe, hygienic periods.