$Domestic Violence$ is taking place closer than you think..

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.”

Help us change this

Programmes.

Our work on the ground.

Bell Bajao

In 2008, with our campaign “Bell Bajao!” We kickstarted a cultural and media movement to call on men and boys to take a stand against domestic violence, urging them to become a part of the solution.

The campaign included a series of award-winning PSAs, inspired by true events showing men and boys step up and take charge by ringing the bell to interrupt overheard domestic violence. These PSAs have now been viewed by over 130 million people. In 2010, our video vans traveled 14,000 miles, to cities and villages far and wide, including communities in the conversation through cultural tools like games and street theatre.