What We Do - Breakthrough

Domestic Violence

1 in 3 women in India suffer sexual and physical violence at home. What should be their safe haven, is the realm of terror, one they can’t speak up against for the fear of shame. The silence around the subject has been deafening. In 2008, we realised that the conversation around domestic violence involves not only the victim and the perpetrator but also the silent spectators who do not intervene in time. We advocated for bystander intervention, asking everyone to come forward, and interrupt instances of overheard violence with an act as little as “ringing the bell!” So far, we at Breakthrough have trained as many as 100,000 people on gender, sexuality and human rights issues and over a million men have signed the pledge against domestic violence. All over the country, young people are joining the cause, starting a dialogue and keeping this movement alive. "Many survivors of abuse struggle to recognise it for what it is: violence. And this struggle is often in silence.

This is why we direct many to places like Kashmakash - created by a domestic abuse survivor herself, it is a repository of first person stories intended to help survivors across the world breach the gap. To realise that they are not alone. It's one thing to know what abuse is. It's another to live it, through someone else's eyes and know their story could match yours. If you or someone you know is struggling with such a situation, you can visit Kashmakash here today."

Sexual Harassment

The phrase ‘Eve Teasing’ belittles the extent and enormity of the trauma that comes with acts of sexual violence and harassment. Any offensive behaviour that women experience - be it leering, whistling, sexual comments or vulgar gestures, touching, stalking, flashing to demanding sexual favours and sharing pornography against their will is sexual harassment. But institutionalised inequality and stubborn traditional gender roles keep women away from their right to agency and safety. Our society fosters and breeds a culture of abuse and we at Breakthrough won’t stand for it anymore. Are you with us?

Gender-Biased Sex Selection

It’s a sad fact that even in this day and age, girls are still considered a burden for the family. The ‘burden’ of their physical safety and dowry makes them undesirable, leading to the consequent abortion of female foetuses, despite the prevailing laws against the practice. The sex ratio has fallen to 919 girls for a 1000 boys. Women are disappearing from families, workplaces, and public spaces. We want to give the girl child a fair shot at life, her place in the sun and a safe space in the public domain. Are you with us?

Early Marriage

Think of all the wonderful things a young girl hopes to be when she grows up. All of her dreams for the future are crushed by a society that is eager and willing to endanger her health and identity. Millions of young girls are forced into early marriage as soon as or before they even reach puberty. This is followed by the expectation of childbirth, well before their bodies are ready to undergo such an ordeal. More so, these young girls are at high risk for domestic violence and sexual abuse. Add to that the burden of domestic work and labour that is well beyond their physical capabilities. What drives the community to treat one-half of its children with such hostility? Over a decade ago, we decided to take action and change the status quo. We encourage communities to educate the girl child, as better access to education, health services and economic opportunities would enable the same girls to thrive.

Adolescent Empowerment

How can you hope to win a fight when you don’t start on an even playing field? For generations, Indian girls have been losing the battle for autonomy to our deep-rooted system of patriarchy. Add economic exclusion and extreme gender and caste discrimination to the mix, and ask yourself - how can they then hope to reach their potential? How can they dream when we don’t give them the option to? How do we empower them to create an equitable community for themselves and future generations? From sex-selective abortions to a high rate of female infant mortality, the odds are against them from the start. Often unwanted, girls face neglect and discrimination in their very own families, resulting in poorer health, higher instances of anaemia, and lower chances of completion of education. They are deprived of choices and of freedom to imagine a life they can live on their own terms, free of violence and discrimination.

#WWW

#HumSeHainHimmat As of 2019, there are ___ million people on Twitter, a really staggering number. But we only hear from a countable few on a daily basis and of those, a small percentage are women. We thought it was time to look beyond the numbers - followers, retweets, likes - and find the women who fly below our radars but continue to use Twitter in a productive and positive way! How do we do that? Considering the sheer volume of people, it would be difficult to do it on an individual basis, so we turned to the next best option: you guys. We would like you to nominate your favorite woman user (???) on Twitter or even yourself if you think you fit. A select few of those nominated have some exciting surprises in store for them! And that’s it! Nominations close on January 31st so don’t miss the deadline to nominate your fave women on Twitter!

Four paths to a gender-equal future